Doctoral Program Entrepreneurship and Innovativeness is the result of two-year work within the Tempus project financed by the EU in which, beside the Osijek University, four European universities participated: universities from Finland (Turku), United Kingdom (Durham), Austria (Klagenfurt) and Slovenia (Maribor). Studying and recognition of individual courses within this doctoral program and other doctoral programs within these institutions was enabled through a special agreement signed between the five participating universities. Curriculum of the Doctoral Program Entrepreneurship and Innovativeness is implemented by lecturers from all the partner universities. The start of the program is planned in autumn of 2010. An important component of the program is the Virtual Learning Platform based on Microsoft technologies, which will allow students of this program to access and exchange knowledge from the field of entrepreneurship. More information can be obtained at psp@psp.efos.hr .

From June 5th to June 12th, 2010, Sunčica Oberman Peterka participated in conference on authentic leadership, organized by ALIA (Authentic Leadership in Action) in Halifax, Canada. One of the founders of this institute is Susan Skjei, who, together with Sunčica, teaches the Authentic Leadership course at graduate and postgraduate program Entrepreneurship. Within the conference, Sunčica Oberman Peterka participated in a 15-hour seminar on the subject “Solving Tough Problems”, which was led by Adam Kahane(author of world bestsellers Solving Tough Problems and Power and Love), Mille Bojer and LeAnne Grillo. They are the founders of the international association REOS, which is involved in solving complex social problems in many countries around the world, such as, for example, Republic of South Africa, India, Brazil, USA, etc. One of the speakers at the conference was Peter Senge, author of the famous Fifth Discipline, who spoke on the subject “The necessary Revolution”.

Last week at the Faculty of Economics in Osijek five-day Doctoral Retreat on Entrepreneurship As „Making“ (DREAM) was held. The retreat was lead by Saras Sarasvathy, professor of entrepreneurship at Darden Graduate School of Business, University of Virginia, USA, together with Stuart Read, IMD, Switzerland and Robert Wiltbank from Willamette University, USA. The number of attendants was limited and they included several students from abroad, a team of professors from the Graduate Program in Entrepreneurship, as well as a group of future students of the Doctoral Program Entrepreneurship and Innovativeness.

Professor Slavica Singer, Head of the UNESCO Chair in Entrepreneurship at the Faculty of Economics in Osijek was awarded Honorary Doctorate Degree in Economic Sciences by the University of Turku, Turku School of Economics, Finland. The Honorary Doctorate was awarded in recognition of her contribution to the development of internationally networked entrepreneurial research and education, her significant achievements in bringing entrepreneurship to multi-faculty academic environments and for her extensive collaboration with the Turku School of Economics. Honorary Doctorate award ceremony was held on 14 May in Turku.

Within the 10th study trip undertaken by the Graduate Program in Entrepreneurship, which took place from 28 April to 5 May 2010, a group of 25 students and professors visited Finland, cities Turku and Helsinki. As always, the trip was a mixture of study-education-tourist journey. Within the educational part, Turku School of Economics, Turku Science Park, Luovia Ltd – Multichannel marketing concepts, STX Europe shipyard (in which world’s largest cruise ships are built) and the nearby Forum Maritime, which hosts an exhibition about Finland’s maritime past, were visited. In the tourist part of the trip, historic Turku castle was visited. On 1 May, our group visited Naantali, one of the oldest Finnish towns and the nearby Moomin World, theme park based on Moomin children’s books by Tove Jansson. Our students and professors have also witnessed and participated in the traditional May Day parade, one of the most celebrated holidays in Finland, together with their hosts Prof. Antti Passio and Kirsi Peura from the Turku School of Economics. The trip was concluded with a visit to the Finnish capital Helsinki and the Suomenlinna fortress, which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.