AU LECTURER IN BIO-ENTREPRENEURSHIP RECEIVES INTERNATIONAL AWARD

Rajiv Vaid Basaiawmoit, lecturer and Head of Sci-Tech Innovation & Entrepreneurship at the Faculty of Natural Sciences, was recently honoured when he received the award for Entrepreneurship Educator of the Year at the Triple E Awards ceremony.

The award is presented by the Accreditation Council of Engaged and Entrepreneurial Universities (ACEEU). This took place this year at an award ceremony in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. 

Rajiv Vaid Basaiawmoit teaches the Master's degree course Bio-entrepreneurship at AU, where he combines science with innovation. 

Entrepreneurship and innovation are often not the obvious path for science students, says Rajiv Vaid Basaiawmoit in a feature article in Natural Sciences. Therefore, it’s about opening up a new world for the students. However, the course doesn’t require them to set up a business. 

"My vision is to create innovative scientists first – that is, to shape students to become skilled, but also 'entrepreneurial' researchers," he says.

"They must dare to dream. Think a little science fiction. Otherwise, nothing will ever happen if no one dares to think big about science," Rajiv Vaid Basaiawmoit says.

The lecturer came up with the idea for the course in 2019 together with Klaus Koren, associate professor of Biology, who is responsible for the Bio-entrepreneurship course. Rajiv Vaid Basaiawmoit also offers similar courses at AU, including Trends in Nanoscience, Communication and Entrepreneurship at iNANO, and Food Entrepreneurship at AU Food. 

This text is machine-translated and post-edited by Cecillia Jensen