Author: Dalibor Šimek

BIP - Startup Simulation Game is one of the first results of the cooperation within the STARS EU European University, of which Silesian University is a proud member. The programme is an initiative of the Thematic Interest Group "Entrepreneurship & Innovation". Seven universities from the STARS EU alliance participated in the program (25 students and 9 teachers). 

The main goal of the BIP was to introduce students to the process of creating and operating a start-up, dynamically growing enterprise. In the initial phase, students were divided into international teams and went through theoretical preparation while planning their market entry strategy. This phase was conducted online and lasted about a month. This was followed by a week of mobility in the Netherlands at the Hanze University of Applied Sciences in Groningen. Here, an intensive one-week programme was prepared. The teams first went through negotiations with potential investors and then created the planned strategy in a simulation game by the German company TOPSIM. They progressed through 6 simulation rounds that simulated the first 6 years on the market. In the course of the game, the students learn to evaluate large amounts of data and form managerial decisions. They can then see the impact of their decisions on the financial results of the company and can adjust the strategy gradually and thus also learn.

In addition to the five-member student team, Pavel Adámek and Dalibor Šimek also participated in the BIP. The international team led by Dr. Adámek also won the simulation game (achieved the highest profit and market share). For the next years, the BIP offer is planned to increase and students can look forward to more varied opportunities to experience international cooperation and travel abroad for this kind of a short-term mobility.