The Future is Entrepreneurial

Interview on future skills, a culture of innovation, and the importance of entrepreneurial thinking for study, research, and society

For ten years now, Oliver Som has helped shape MCI – as Professor and Senior Researcher in Innovation & Technology Management, as Head of Entrepreneurship Research, and as a valued member of the community. To celebrate this anniversary, he looks back together with Head of Department Michael Razen on defining moments, developments, and future perspectives.

Michael: Oliver, you have now been at MCI for ten years. Congratulations and thank you very much for your dedication! When you look back, what is the first image that comes to mind?

Oliver: The first thing that comes to mind is the family-like atmosphere at MCI. The trustful and collegial collaboration, the short distances, and above all our department team. When I think about our colleagues, it fills me with pride. Pride in being part of this community, but also gratitude for the privilege of accompanying our students during a very formative phase of their lives, when they begin to shape their own career paths.

Michael: And what has been one of the most memorable experiences during these ten years?

Oliver: There have been many, but one story in particular has stayed with me. After a class in which we worked with improvisation techniques, a very quiet student came up to me. He told me that he actually suffers from social anxiety. Nevertheless, he had participated, engaged with the exercises, and realized that he had actually enjoyed it. Moments like these show what teaching can achieve. They are true gifts.

Michael: Over the past ten years you have accompanied countless students and witnessed their development. You clearly see your profession as a calling. How does that make you feel?

Oliver: Above all, it gives me great satisfaction and pride. Seeing what people become, how knowledge turns into competencies, and how individual career paths develop is incredibly rewarding. Being able to accompany this journey is deeply fulfilling.

Michael: You have many responsibilities and an exceptionally broad range of expertise. Among other things, you lead the Department of Innovation & Technology Management. Innovation is often used as a buzzword. What does innovation mean to you?

Oliver: Innovation is far more than simply something new. Joseph Schumpeter described it as creative destruction, and that idea is still highly relevant today. For me, innovation means thinking differently, adopting new perspectives, and questioning existing structures – including questioning oneself. It is about having the courage to rethink things and allow new paths to emerge.

Michael: Creative destruction leads us directly to the next question: how do you see the current developments surrounding artificial intelligence?

Oliver: One could easily give an entire lecture on that. AI undoubtedly brings disruptive elements, but at the same time it opens up enormous opportunities. Precisely for that reason, collaboration, communication, and social skills are becoming more important than ever. Innovation emerges from creativity – and creativity is deeply human. AI reproduces what already exists. Humans, however, can inspire, create meaning, and bring others along.

Michael: You also lead the research focus on Entrepreneurship. Which trends and developments are you observing particularly closely?

Oliver: A great deal is currently in transition. The image of the heroic solo entrepreneur is largely a thing of the past. Collective entrepreneurship, teams, and strong positioning are becoming increasingly important. Start-up ecosystems, sustainability, and AI are also gaining relevance. At the same time, we see challenges, such as the growing concentration of venture capital in the AI-tech sectors, as well as the strong fragmentation of European markets.

Michael: What role do universities play in this context, and specifically MCI?

Oliver: A very central one. Universities essentially contribute in three key ways.

• First, education: We teach solid competencies in business administration, controlling, and entrepreneurship.
• Second, research: for example in proof-of-concepts and technological feasibility for start-ups.
• Third, transfer: We connect stakeholders, open up market access, create visibility, and build bridges to practice.

Michael: You are also part of the scientific team at the UNESCO Chair in Futures Capability for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Which competencies will become particularly important in the future?

Oliver: Many studies show that young people respond with considerable uncertainty to today’s volatile and rapidly changing environment. At the UNESCO Chair, we are developing solutions on how to foster what is known as Futures Literacy among students in higher education. This includes, among other things, the ability to identify opportunities and potential in different – even seemingly negative – future scenarios, to develop shared visions of desirable futures through participatory processes, and to work together to turn these visions into reality.

Michael: What project are you currently working on at the UNESCO Chair in this area?

Oliver: MCI actually plays an international pioneering role here. For the Austrian Ministry of Education, we developed the first reference framework for Futures Literacy in higher education, including learning objectives and practical guidelines for teaching. This framework, called “FuturesComp,” was recently presented to numerous leaders of Austrian universities and is now gradually being implemented in practice.

Michael: Was there a piece of advice that particularly shaped your own career?

Oliver: It was less about traditional advice and more about guiding questions:

• What kind of meaning do I want to create?
• Why am I doing this?
• What contribution am I making?

If you can answer these questions positively for yourself, authenticity emerges. It is important to me to meet people at eye level, to support them, and to create an environment in which innovation becomes possible. That is exactly why I am at MCI.

Michael: When you think about the future: how would you like colleagues and students to remember you one day?

Oliver: That I made a difference, and that they felt that difference.

Michael: What would you like to pass on to our students?

Oliver: Especially in these dynamic times, it is crucial to believe in your own strengths and capabilities. Education remains the key – particularly in the age of AI. Only with knowledge can we understand technologies, recognize fake news or mistakes, and actively shape society. This is an incredibly important and exciting time for everyone who wants to make a difference.

Michael: Before we conclude, is there anything else you would like to share?

Oliver: Where have these ten years gone? So much has happened – curriculum reforms, the pandemic, now AI – all major challenges. But we have always responded quickly and entrepreneurially. No student lost a semester. The team spirit was remarkable. The work here is meaningful and dynamic and standing still is not an option. I am very much looking forward to the next ten years.