Creative Startup Lab (CSL)

Program name: SPINAKER – International Intensive Educational Programmes

Project title: Creative Startup Lab (CSL)

Agreement number: BPI/SPI/2025/1/00035/U/00001

Project implementation period: 01.06.2026 r. – 30.11.2027 r.

Project value: 475 061,00 PLN

Funds granted for Lublin University of Technology: 475 061,00 PLN

Principal Investigator: dr inż. Jakub Bis

Abstract: The Faculty of Management at Lublin University of Technology (LUT) will design and deliver “Creative Startup Lab” (CSL), an intensive, international, on-campus summer school taught entirely in English.  The programme will be implemented as a ten-day Intensive International Programme (IMPK), comprising approximately eight teaching hours per day and around 80 hours in total. Two editions are planned, each for a cohort of 15 students and doctoral candidates, giving a total of 30 participants. The target group will include participants from LUT and partner institutions abroad, with a significant share of international students and doctoral candidates.

The aim of CSL is to strengthen competencies in creating and developing innovative startups in an intercultural environment. The programme will be based on “learning by creating”, practical workshops and team project work carried out in international and interdisciplinary groups. Its curriculum will form a coherent pathway from building an effective team to designing, testing and presenting a viable startup concept.

The programme will begin with team building using the CliftonStrengths approach. Participants will identify their preferred working styles, learn how to use individual strengths in collaboration and develop a team contract. Thirty assessment codes will be used, with one code assigned to each participant across both editions. The project team will draw on the facilitator’s competencies developed during the Gallup certification process, as well as on existing assessment results, experience and teamwork tools; therefore, no additional assessment codes are required for project staff.

Subsequent modules will focus on creativity, opportunity recognition and project scoping in areas such as Greentech, Medtech and Industry 4.0. Participants will learn Customer Development methods and translate customer needs into a Value Proposition Design. They will develop and iteratively improve a Lean Canvas, conduct qualitative and quantitative market research, design experiments linked to a minimum viable product (MVP), and analyse competitors through market mapping and strategy canvas tools. The programme will also cover the refinement of differentiators, preliminary pricing and revenue models, and the basics of startup finance, including unit economics.

Sustainable development will be integrated throughout the curriculum. ESG, DNSH and SDG perspectives will be applied to the refinement of business concepts and lead to version 2.0 of each team’s business model. Participants will also take part in a study visit to a startup-support institution, receive mentoring from experts and practitioners, and refine their go-to-market strategies, including communication channels and initial marketing and sales activities. The final communication module will develop public-speaking, storytelling and pitch-deck skills.

CSL will culminate in a Demo Day attended by experts and business partners. Teams will present their concepts, receive detailed external feedback, conduct self-assessment and identify further development paths, such as participation in accelerators, grant schemes, competitions or cooperation with LUT. Completion of the programme will be confirmed by a document meeting micro-credential requirements and based on an external assessment of learning outcomes in entrepreneurship, innovation, teamwork in an international environment and sustainable business-model design.

The project will be implemented in accordance with horizontal principles. Accessibility will be ensured through WCAG 2.1 AA-compliant materials, reasonable accommodations and architecturally accessible teaching spaces. Equal opportunities and non-discrimination will be supported by neutral recruitment language, transparent selection criteria and monitoring of gender balance and team diversity. The programme will use LUT’s existing infrastructure and digital tools, reduce energy consumption through prudent room and equipment management, minimise printing by using electronic materials, and encourage public transport for the study visit.

Project information and results will be disseminated through LUT and Faculty websites, social media channels, partner universities and business-support institutions. Selected teaching materials will be shared as open educational resources, while a brief lessons-learned report will be prepared after each edition. By delivering an intensive programme in English and cooperating with international partners, CSL will strengthen LUT’s international profile, improve the quality of education and expand the University’s foreign-language educational offer in line with the objectives of the SPINAKER programme.