INSIDER INSIGHTS
María del Pilar Lopez Gonzalez: “The global challenge is increasingly one of translation: scientific excellence does not automatically become entrepreneurial value. Deep‑tech commercialisation requires both technology‑transfer capabilities and entrepreneurial talent. At ITESO, we support that bridge through the Department of Economics, Administration & Marketing, the Centre for Innovation & Technology Management (CEGINT) and the University Business Centre. “Together, they connect management education, technology-based entrepreneurship, knowledge transfer and business development. Within the MBA, innovation management and technological entrepreneurship are key areas of learning, supported by the Technology Park, the Knowledge Transfer Unit and incubation and acceleration resources. “One recent example is Xima, a probiotic agave beverage developed by biotechnology engineering students in ITESO laboratories. The product uses a proprietary process under patent application and is progressing towards company formation with support from the Knowledge Transfer Unit. “Our learning is that ideas need a pathway to impact. Deep tech requires market validation, intellectual property strategy, business-model design and societal relevance from an early stage. The challenge is making these connections more systematic so that research, business education and industry engagement lead to viable, scalable applications.” Sherif Kamel: “The MBA programme at Onsi Sawiris School of Business teaches the full venture lifecycle through real‑world cases of innovative start-ups. The curriculum spans ideation and product design through go-to-market, growth, investment and exit. The aim is to bridge the gap between a compelling research finding and turning an invention into a scalable business.
market insight, customer discovery, business-model thinking and scaling expertise. We try to make this tangible through live cases, founder visits and engagement with the university’s startup ecosystem.” Jason Evans: “I think it’s about having the right mixture of contributors and experiences and – crucially – tying them together. At Aston, the MBA has been deliberately designed to connect academic knowledge and practice rather than treating them as separate activities. “Our professional and personal development programme, The Aston Edge, provides a thread as alumni speakers are deliberately connected to subjects that students have recently studied, supporting translation of ideas into organisational reality. We’ve similarly changed how we approach research methods, increasingly connecting research
with practice and demonstrating how evidence can inform genuine business decisions. “Our start-up lab is a good example of university-led innovation: students work with research-based ventures and present their thinking to panels including people with real investment experience. In one
early cohort, panel members were sufficiently interested in a technology to want further conversations with the team. Whether or not investment ultimately results is almost secondary: students experience first-hand the journey from research and proposition to commercial conversation.”
Ambition • ISSUE 5 • 2026 21
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