Emerging divergent thinking: a challenge for universities.

This article is taken from the "Guest" section of the March 2024 issue of Omalius magazine.

Roald Sieberath: There are several parameters that demonstrate that entrepreneurship is currently on a dynamic and buoyant path. For example, if we look at the evolution of entrepreneurship over the last ten years, we can see that today it's much better accepted. There are entrepreneurial programs in virtually every university. That wasn't the case before. I found myself an entrepreneur at the age of 25. I was the Martian compared to my management classmates.

Today, things have evolved: it's become part of the practice in many higher education training courses, and no longer just in management courses. We're seeing that the profiles of people embarking on entrepreneurship are much more varied than they used to be: there are historians, philosophers, computer scientists. This is very encouraging. But I would also urge caution, because entrepreneurship is like jumping off a cliff and building your plane as you fall. And some succeed. This demonstrates the audacity of an entrepreneurial project. It's not for everyone. In particular, there are a series of human and intellectual qualities you need to develop an entrepreneurial project.

R.S.: There's been a clear evolution in the leadership of higher education players, with the implementation of numerous support programs, with, for example, the presence of incubators to help student-led projects emerge, while enabling them to pursue their training path in parallel. Support and assistance are very important in the entrepreneurial process. Universities also have a role to play in fostering divergent thinking and multiple solutions. This is a prerequisite for entrepreneurship. Here too, there are useful skills to be developed, and universities must be able to rise to this challenge.

R.S.: This is indeed another piece of good news: big companies are more open to collaborating with start-ups. Before, they were two separate planets. Today, they're talking to each other. And companies are turning to start-ups for their innovative qualities. This capacity for innovation, for seeking out new solutions, is fundamental in our society, which is in transition. In fact, it's this relationship and the need for innovation in our society that I'm addressing in my BAGI master's course.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support.

R.S.: When a sector goes digital, it doesn't just transform, it reinvents. Digital technology considerably expands the field of possibilities. But there are certain precautions to be taken when digitizing a sector. I'm thinking, for example, of the risks involved in manipulating artificial intelligence. And this is where the educational sector and universities have a role to play: educating people about the digital world, but also pursuing research in this field, while ensuring that expertise is cross-fertilized. In this field, UNamur enjoys genuine recognition, with its various research centers where computer scientists, lawyers and economists work together to explore the various avenues of digital development (notably within the NADI, NDLR). NADI also advocates a digital rollout in our society that takes the human aspect into account. Human beings must remain at the heart of all digitalization. In addition, we must continue the efforts undertaken as part of "DigitalWallonia4.ai", the Walloon plan whose main objective is to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence in Wallonia and the development of the Walloon AI ecosystem. This work is being carried out from a multi-sector, multi-disciplinary perspective, where expertise crosses, responds to and feeds off each other. ADN is actively working on this and is delighted to see players such as UNamur at its side to drive Wallonia forward in the digital field.

R.S.: AI in education, and particularly in higher education, should be seen as a real opportunity, but one that needs to be framed. In fact, UNamur realized this very quickly, notably by conducting a whole reflection on the use of ChatGPT in its teaching missions. While AI should be seen as a source of opportunity, and encouraged in all faculties, it must remain an adjuvant. Creativity will remain a human skill and strength. We must continue to stimulate and encourage it. And to train young people in this creativity. Creativity will also be a determining factor in entrepreneurial development, which, like digital development, is a key issue for our future society.

Proposed for 10 years by the Faculty of Informatics, the Master of Specialization Business Analysis /IT Governance & Innovation (BAGI) offers an interdisciplinary training focused on targeted aspects of informatics and management in line with the fields of business analysis, IT governance and innovation management.