E&I receives Innovative Teaching Award 2025 for Consulting course!

The Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation has been awarded the WU Prize for Innovative Teaching 2025 for the course "E&I Consulting." The prize recognizes outstanding contributions to teaching excellence at WU Vienna.

Real Clients. Real Problems. Real Stakes.

E&I Consulting is not a simulation. Students take on the role of E&I Consultants and work in teams on actual innovation projects commissioned by well-known multinationals - past partners include Microsoft, Generali, the OeNB, Porsche Holding, REWE, and ÖBB. The challenges span the full breadth of strategic and innovation management: from benchmarking analyses and idea management systems to uncovering hidden competitive advantages and mapping new innovation fields. In many cases, the companies' executive suite is directly involved - because the stakes of implementation are real.

Consulting as It Actually Works

Problems in E&I Consulting are intentionally fuzzy. There is no pre-packaged brief, no clean problem statement handed to students on day one. Defining the situation, structuring the project, and developing a concrete approach are part of the work itself - mirroring how management consulting actually functions. From there, students conduct rigorous analyses (primary data collection, literature reviews, database research) and develop their own creative solution concepts.

Throughout the semester, students are supported not only by lecturers and project partners, but also by consultants from leading management consultancies - through workshops and network events that offer unfiltered insight into the industry. It is not uncommon for job opportunities to emerge from these contacts. 

What Students Walk Away With

By the end of the course, participants can structure and solve complex, ambiguous problems; apply professional consulting tools and frameworks; develop client-ready offers and project presentations; and navigate the dynamics of real stakeholder relationships. Soft skills - communication, presentation, project and time management - are sharpened through every interaction with teams, coaches, and external partners.