Bringing 21st century technology to business leaders

The IDEA League Executive Program helps professionals implement new developments in sustainability and emerging technologies in their organisations.

Nowadays it is not only engineers who need to know about leading technologies and sustainability; increasingly, many other professionals from a variety of fields, including finance, law, healthcare and media, wish to gain a better understanding of such themes to be able to lead their teams and organisations in the transition to a technology-based sustainable future. This is what this new executive program is specifically designed to deliver in a flexible, collaborative and practical manner.

Developed by the IDEA League partner universities – TU Delft, RWTH Aachen, Politecnico Milano, Chalmers, and ETH Zurich – it offers two specialised tracks, in Emerging Technologies and in Sustainability. They provide insights and practical knowledge on the latest technological advancements and sustainability concepts to enable learners take advantage of strategic opportunities and tackle sustainability challenges.

Online and on campus

Each track lasts 20 weeks and comprises over 25 elective online courses. It concludes with a week-long capstone project taking place on campus at two of the universities – at Milan and Zurich, or in Delft and Aachen – whereby participants integrate and apply the acquired knowledge to a given case study. Neither track requires prior technical education or training; however, advanced courses are available for those with more expertise.

The Emerging Technologies track focuses on future tech ranging from AI and robotics to smart mobility, investigating how topics like these affect business. The online courses include, amongst others, seven by the TU Delft Extension School, for example:

  • AI in practice: preparing for AI
  • The quantum internet and quantum computers: how will they change the world?
  • Hello (Real) World with ROS – Robot Operating System.

The Sustainability track offers in-depth courses on green industry, its place in a circular economy, and other relevant themes to help professionals gain sustainability expertise. It includes 15 online courses by the TU Delft Extension School, for example:

  • Electric Cars: Policy / Business / Technology
  • Sustainable Packaging in a Circular Economy
  • Zero-Energy Design: an approach to make your building sustainable
  • Sustainable Urban Development.

The MBA of the 21st century

This executive program is innovative in both content and format. It is specifically designed to meet the know-how needs of working professionals who may not have an engineering or technical background. Whereas in the past engineers often did an MBA to gain business skills, this program helps business managers gain an (engineering) understanding of up-and-coming technologies.

It effectively brings together the expertise of five renowned institutions, combining and aptly reusing materials to transfer knowledge and provide learners with practical toolkits that they can directly apply in their daily jobs. Additionally, its format combines learning online and on campus, enabling participants to make the most of flexibility and of sharing experiences and working with peers, thus also broadening their professional network.

Interested? Find out more on the IDEA League Executive  Program website, or email extension-school@tudelft.nl

Images: IDEA League promotional flyer.