Written by Colin McEvoy | March 10, 2025 | SHARE
Graduate students from TU Dortmund University and Lehigh University joined forces for a week of hands-on entrepreneurship, applying their academic knowledge to real-world challenges during Lehigh’s TE Week
For the second consecutive year, a select group of TU Dortmund University graduate students have traveled from Germany to Lehigh University to participate in Technical Entrepreneurship (TE) Week.
First launched in 2012, TE Week is a week-long academic immersion for graduate students pursuing an M.Eng. or Graduate Certificate in Technical Entrepreneurship at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science at Lehigh.
Lehigh has enjoyed a strong international partnership with TU Dortmund for 26 years. The Dortmund students who participated in TE Week were competitively selected from the university’s DLab, a digital initiative that offers an interdisciplinary certificate in Digital Technology Management.
“It puts you in a situation where you have four days to work fast and plan well to achieve your goals and not get too stuck with the details,” said Colin Kolbe, who is pursuing an M.S. in Computer Science at TU Dortmund. “It can be a bit stressful while you’re doing it, but in the end, you achieve something and gain a lot of valuable experience that will be helpful later in life.”
TE Week challenges participants to apply the knowledge and skills they gained during their graduate programs to a week-long endeavor in a team format. Participants engaged in hands-on work with a series of challenges, receiving guidance from various professors and industry experts, as well as networking opportunities with peers and mentors.
Visit here to see a video of TE Week created by Tommy Anderson '24.
Participants are divided into three teams, each of which is charged with identifying an invention that is available to license either through the Office of Technology Transfer or NASA’s Technology Transfer University.
They are then tasked with developing a robust commercialization plan for both product and venture. The plan is developed in the context of one of three scenarios: creating a technology startup from scratch, leveraging the invention to help an existing 3-year-old venture scale, or integrating the technology through an intrapreneur at a large corporation.
"TE Week provides an opportunity for the master's students to explore the breadth and depth of intellectual property-protected inventions available at both NASA and Lehigh University,” said Michael Lehman, founder of TE Week, Professor of Practice, and Director, M.Eng. in Technical Entrepreneurship at Lehigh.
Kolbe’s team developed a business plan for a chemical application startup specializing in oil-free lubricants licensed from NASA. During the team’s final presentation, Kolbe highlighted that the global market for oil-based lubricants is valued at $167 billion, yet most fail under extreme temperatures. In contrast, this new technology overcomes that limitation by applying a lubrication coating directly to parts using plasma spray coating or metallurgy.
Another team created a plan for a 3-year-old venture with the potential name of TechGrowth Inc., creating a product called NaVision, according to team member Eva Pape. She is pursuing an M.S. in Business and Economics at TU Dortmund, with a focus on Innovation, Technology Management & Entrepreneurship.
The NaVision technology is an AI-powered indoor navigation system for smart glasses, using a built-in camera to capture real-time images, which AI interprets to provide instant audio guidance via a connected phone or earbuds, enabling hands-free navigation for visually impaired users, Pape said.
“Visually-impaired persons have problems navigating indoors hands-free and in real time, and there is currently no smart glasses solution for that,” she said. “This technology, developed in part at Lehigh, is a game changer for manufacturers of smart glasses."
The third team, representing an innovative team within a larger corporation, developed the concept for "HaloHug"—a smart baby swaddle embedded with seamlessly 3D-printed biosensors. HaloHug allows parents to monitor a range of vital biomarkers throughout their child's sleep, including breathing patterns, sleep trends, temperature, and pulse rates. The HaloHug team won ‘TE Team of the Week’, an award based on innovative approach, entrepreneurial strategy, and interdisciplinary teamwork.
"When presented with NASA’s technology of 3D-printable biosensors, we immediately gravitated toward creating a wearable product," said Mia Valecce '24 'G25, graduate student in the 13th cohort of the Technical Entrepreneurship program. "Technology plays a major role in consumer decisions today, but we saw the greatest opportunity in focusing on the safety and well-being of infants. It’s a vast market, and parents are willing to invest in products that provide peace of mind."
TE Week emphasizes team building, problem-solving, and practical application, with a focus on innovation and entrepreneurship. Key lessons include leadership and teamwork dynamics, understanding perspectives from both licensees and licensors, and preparing and presenting innovative solutions to complex problems.
“It’s a great opportunity for students from all kinds of disciplines to come together at a program in parallel to their main study program and learn how to innovate and build up startups from a very practical perspective,” said Steffen Strese, University Professor and Chair of Innovation Management at TU Dortmund.
Lisa Getzler, Lehigh’s Vice Provost for Entrepreneurship, added: "The Lehigh-TU Dortmund partnership is a vital contributor to Lehigh's thriving entrepreneurship ecosystem. TE Week exemplifies this collaboration, providing graduate students with an international, interdisciplinary experience that fosters innovation and empowers them to translate ideas into action."
Lehman added, "Technical Entrepreneurship embraces the pedagogy of 'Self-Other-World Learning' (SOWL) as a layer of the international collaboration with TU Dortmund."