On 15 October, EIT Digital gathered 300 newly enrolled students online to celebrate the launch of their two-year program with the EIT Digital Master School. The Kick-Off lays the ground for the students’ journey to attain first-class technical skills, integrate into Europe's largest digital innovation ecosystem, and advance their career as Europe’s future innovators and entrepreneurs, building a strong digital Europe.
The annual EIT Digital Master School Kick-Off marks the official start to the new academic year. The new students are welcomed by the EIT Digital leadership, enjoy inspiring keynotes, get first-hand experience from Master School alumni, and have a first opportunity to meet peers from all seven EIT Digital Master School programmes. Last, but not least, the new cohort of students encounters for the first time the EIT Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education in practice.
In his keynote address, Hungarian Minister of State for Higher Education, Innovation and Vocational Education and Training, Prof. Dr. József Bódis, emphasised that “Digital transformation is a comprehensive social change, that creates additional opportunities to develop the economy and encourages further advances in the labour market”. Minister Bódis added that “the EIT Digital Master School can help students to become professionals who can play a key role in developing innovations that can improve our lives.”
The EIT Digital Master School is a unique European network of 18 outstanding technical universities. As a key and integral element, students learn how to think and act like entrepreneurs. In this respect, EIT Digital Chief Education Officer Roberto Prieto considers the EIT Digital Master School exceptional: “We completely integrate our innovation and entrepreneurship education with the technical curriculum. Our students solve real challenges and work on real business cases that are contributed by our ecosystem of business and industry partners. This is very different from any other academic programme on the market.”
EIT Digital graduates are expected to contribute to society with more than technical expertise and entrepreneurial skills. EIT Digital CEO Willem Jonker emphasised that “We have learned what needs to be done to rebuild a strong digital Europe, but we will do it the European way, embedding European values. Digital technology needs to serve everybody, create equal opportunities and a safe digital world,” he said, and added that “We count on you to contribute to a digital Europe that is fair, inclusive, and sustainable.”
The EIT Digital Master School seeks out the best technical students and equips them with cutting-edge knowledge and business skills, to help guarantee Europe’s leading role in the global digital economy.
Representing one of the most active EIT Digital partner universities, the rector of Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Prof. Dr. László Borhy, underlined the excellent career opportunities for EIT Digital Master School graduates. “95% of students are employed within six months after graduation and 93% remain active in their field of studies. An inevitable proof of the efficiency and quality of the EIT Digital Master programmes.”
Upon successful completion of their two years masters, all students receive two degrees from two different universities and a certificate from the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). And the engagement with EIT Digital rarely ends with the graduation. “Most of the people who went through the EIT Digital Master School have this urge to give back, because we feel like the Master program opened so many opportunities to us,” says alumna. Anna Prudnikova, who recently joined the board of the EIT Digital Alumni Foundation. The unique character of the Master School also left a clear mark in Ray Pohjanheimo’s career path. The alumnus, CEO and Co-Founder of startup Ameliate, confirmed that “the program had a real impact on my professional ambitions by making entrepreneurship feel more attainable, because I got so familiar with it.” Sruthi Sree Kumar, software engineer and Master School alumna, complemented that. “The Master School not only gives you the opportunity to study advanced curricula, but helps you grow as a person. Three years ago, I would not have imagined sitting here and talking to you. I had terrible stage fright and poor presentation skills. But different events and the entrepreneurship courses at EIT Digital helped me to develop my soft skills.”
Representing the EIT Digital Master School faculty, ELTE senior lecturer Dr. Barbara Hegyi concluded that it was “a great responsibility how we shape the thinking of future innovators and tech entrepreneurs because they have a great impact on changing markets and consumer behaviours.”
