NEOLAiA

The NEOLAiA Focus Academy celebrated its premiere at Bielefeld University, bringing together students from across Europe to explore digital transformation and entrepreneurship. Through a combination of online phases and an intensive in-person week, participants gained practical insights, worked on real-world case studies, and experienced vibrant international collaboration.

A soft murmur fills the seminar room. Students from Spain, Sweden, Romania, Lithuania, Cyprus, and Germany lean over shared assignments, discuss ideas, laugh, and compare approaches. Someone sketches a business model on the whiteboard; two others spontaneously test a digital tool. The atmosphere is both focused and full of energy. This is exactly what the Focus Academy feels like, making its debut at Bielefeld University this year.

For one week, students from many NEOLAiA partner universities were invited to Bielefeld to engage deeply with “Digital Transformation and Entrepreneurship.” The group had already grown closer during the earlier online phases, but it is here, in the physical seminar room, that the full diversity of perspectives unfolds: technical, societal, and economic questions intersect; ideas collide and open up new ways of thinking.

The international teaching team from Bielefeld, Jaén, and Örebro brings great dedication to the Academy. Prof. Dr. Sabrina Backs, Dr. Markus Günther, Dr. Noelia García Buendía, Dr. Vojtech Klezl, and Dr. Claes Gunnarsson show how digital technologies are reshaping the world of work, what opportunities emerge for entrepreneurs, and which risks accompany digital transformation. Students particularly appreciate the blend of academic insight and practical relevance: they work in interdisciplinary teams on real-world challenges provided by the Gütersloh-based company Miele and apply their knowledge directly. Presentations, short inputs, and interactive tasks keep the course dynamic and encourage active engagement.

An enriching international atmosphere

Many participants describe the international setting as highly enriching, both professionally and personally. New friendships form almost effortlessly, and the collaborative work highlights how diverse—and at the same time how productively aligned—European perspectives can be.

With the Focus Academy, Bielefeld University sends a strong signal within the European University Alliance NEOLAiA: learning in an international network, shaping future-oriented topics together, and making digital transformation tangible. The premiere in Bielefeld demonstrates impressively how much potential this format holds—and how enthusiastically students respond to it.

From left to right: Dr Noelia García Buendía, lecturer at the NEOLAiA Focus Academy at the University of Jaén; Dr Thomas Görzen from Miele as company representative; Dr Markus Günther, senior lecturer at Bielefeld University and co-organiser and lecturer at the Academy; Prof. Dr Dario Anselmetti, Vice-Rector for Studies and Teaching at Bielefeld University; Prof. Dr. Sabrina Backs, lecturer at the Focus Academy and co-module coordinator from Bielefeld University; Dr. Vojtech Klezl, senior lecturer and NEOLAiA lecturer from Örebro University; and Dr. Claes Gunnarsson, also senior lecturer and lecturer at Örebro University. Photo: Norma Langohr / Bielefeld University

A total of 24 students from Germany, Sweden, Romania, Spain, Cyprus and Lithuania came together at the first Focus Academy in Bielefeld. They had already taken part in online courses beforehand. Photo: Norma Langohr / Bielefeld University