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Below Zero

Below Zero

Would you like to be part of shaping both the planet's and your own future? Do you want to be a pioneer in sustainable entrepreneurship even during your education? Then the talent program Below Zero is for you.

Below Zero not only offers you an outstanding opportunity to develop your skills in sustainable entrepreneurship but also provides a platform where you can develop, test, and realize your great, innovative ideas.

You will become part of an interdisciplinary team with other students, and together with your team, you will undergo an intensive program where you learn to develop a sustainable business idea from concept to market.

Of course, there are many more good reasons to participate in Below Zero than just contributing to a more sustainable world.

  • You become a founder of a green startup while studying
  •  You join a team with other talented students, where together you contribute to a more sustainable world
  • You earn 20 extra ECTS points on your diploma
  • You enhance your employment and job opportunities
  • You expand your professional network.

You can apply for admission to the Below Zero talent program if:

  • You are a student at SDU and not behind in your studies
  • You are a third-year bachelor student or a master's student
  • You are ambitious and dedicated and can handle 20 ECTS points alongside your studies
  • You are interested in developing a green and sustainable business idea in an interdisciplinary team.

The Below Zero talent program equips you with the necessary tools and skills to start your own startup with a focus on sustainability. Specifically, you learn to act and think sustainably, and you will work on developing innovative solutions that can contribute to reducing CO2 emissions.

As part of the program, you can be involved in creating CO2-neutral products or groundbreaking sustainable technology. The possibilities are numerous.

We have designed a hands-on program where you will go through all the necessary steps to develop your own sustainable startup. Your journey into the entrepreneurial world begins in an interdisciplinary team, focusing on idea generation, prototype development, the art of raising capital through pitching, and finally, how to market your product or solution.

Here's the time schedule for the program

Take the first step into the exciting world of sustainable entrepreneurship, where you can make a difference for the world, for yourself, and for your career. Apply for your spot in the talent program Below Zero today.

 

Click here to apply

FAQ

We are looking for applicants that, in October 2023, will be in the 3rd year of their Bachelor’s degree or who will be doing their Master’s Degree. Moreover, we are looking for students who are passionate about Entrepreneurship, climate change and sustainability, and who have great potential and ambitions to start a new venture. Students cannot have a delay in their studies and it is important that students will be able to attend all activities. Therefore, students with a semester abroad for studies or internship will not be allowed to participate.

The SDU Talent Programme in Green Entrepreneurship represents a workload of 20 ECTS, which comes down to 12 hours per week. The ECTS are awarded for the programme after completion and are Extracurricular ECTS. This means they cannot be exchanged for other courses. Instead, the student will graduate with 20 ECTS more than the norm for their degree. Upon graduation, these 20 extra ECTS result in a special recognition awarded with the degree. The duration of the programme is 10 weekend workshops.

The SDU Talent Programme in Green Entrepreneurship takes place from October to June and is an extracurricular programme. This means that the activities for the programme will be executed in addition to the courses in the study curriculum for the students. Workshops’ hours are scheduled in weekends, and additional work can be scheduled by the student startups at their own leisure.

We usually start at 9.30 with some breakfast at end at around 17/ 18 both on Saturdays and Sundays. The workshops take place at Cortex Park/ Videnbyen next to Odense Campus. Students from outside SDU Odense will get their travel expenses reimbursed as well as get a hotel room booked and paid for the workshop weekends. 

Workshop weekends

2023/2024 October November December January February March April May June
Saturday 5 9 7 Individual group sessions 1 15 12 3 -
Sunday 6 10 8 To be  scheduled 2 16 13 4 1
This workshop will be on your own and not facilitated
Saturday 26 23
Sunday 27 24
Monday 2

This year, our application deadline is at September 16th. Right after, our board of judges will look at the applications and will select 50 students to have an intake conversation with. After the intake conversation with the managers of the programme, the final 35 participants are selected. The selection will be done in two steps. First, candidates need to meet basic requirements (no study delay, passed 2nd year bachelor, and present in Denmark). Second, we will look at experience, ambition, and potential of the candidates to start a startup during the programme.

During the Talent Programme activities, we will facilitate the rapid creation of green startups. In order to do this successfully, we teach to develop competences and skills in a range of activities like: Ideation, Business Development, Rapid Prototyping, Co-creation, Growth Hacking, Marketing, Sales.

Last Updated 07.05.2024