CENTER FOR INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP: CONVERTING PROBLEMS INTO OPPORTUNITIES

The Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (IEC) was designed with the belief that everyone can be an innovator and entrepreneur through the right tools, mentorship, and interventions. This center for innovation and entrepreneurship provides innovation and entrepreneurship programs to ASB students, corporate partners, universities, non-profit organizations, and youth organizations all while managing FabLabKL, one of Malaysia’s first makerspaces. The IEC truly believes that an individual’s creative confidence, self-efficacy, and innovative mindset are the core determinants of entrepreneurial behavior and must be developed to create innovative cultures and ecosystems within companies and throughout the world.

Impact Record

Value Proposition

ASB MBA Students

  • Hones Entrepreneurial Skills
  • Provides creative space and advisory for designing and prototyping products as well as starting ventures

Corporate Partners

  • Brings innovative thinking into the workplace
  • Prepares employees for disruption in business

For Youth & Company Partners

  • Innovation and Intrapreneur* mentorship
  • Nurtures entrepreneurial ecosystems at grassroots

* Intrapreneurship (n) 1. Successful adaptation of entrepreneurial attitudes and strategies inside of a bureaucratic organization. 2. Implementation of start-up practices within a large organization, producing valued innovation.

Methodology

The IEC programs have been developed based on the research performed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) by Professor Rajesh Nair. They are designed to spark creativity, nurture innovative mindsets and enhance exposure to disruptive technologies based on the following principles:

Problem-Based Learning

A dynamic pedagogical approach in which learners gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to respond to authentic, engaging, and complex questions, problems, or challenges.

Hands-On Learning

Merging theory and practice, staying true to ASB’s focus on Action Learning which refers to a “learning by doing” approach.

Collaborative Learning

Enabling a small, diverse, and agile group of people or organizations (often times not having worked before) to effectively work together to complete a task or achieve a goal.

FabLabKL, is ASB’s makerspace managed by IEC. FabLabKL provides the creative space, cutting-edge technology and equipment, training and technical guidance for ASB students and the larger community to make, invent, and fabricate their ideas into prototypes and viable products.

Product System

  • MakerFest & TinkerFest
  • Introduction to creativity and hands-on team experience in ideation
  • 2-3 day workshop focused on design
  • From children to working professionals

Problem System

  • Human-centric approach to problematic identification
  • Solution development through design thinking methodologies

Business System

  • Skills in identifying opportunities
  • Value creation
  • Defining strategies for execution and commercialization

IEC Partners