IMD and ECAL launch partnership

IMD and ECAL, the University of Art and Design Lausanne, have established a partnership agreement and are currently working together on a series of joint initiatives. The two leading academic institutions recently jointly delivered a three-day program on Foundations of Business at IMD for students undertaking ECAL’s MAS in Design for Luxury and Craftsmanship. The program focused on the major facets of branding and the creation of products and companies. Several other joint initiatives with IMD and ECAL are planned for the current and upcoming semesters. The current line-up of joint programs includes:

Foundations of Business

This three-day program is led by IMD Professors and is destined for students in ECAL’s MAS in Design for Luxury and Craftsmanship. Through practical exercises it focuses on familiarizing students with the creation of products and companies as well as the many facets of branding.

Coaching

IMD Professors provide personalized coaching, advising ECAL students on business projects the students undertake as part of their diploma and with a view to kick-start their careers.

MBA Innovation Lab

From 23 to 28 April, ECAL students and participants in the IMD MBA program work together on the Debiopharm Inartis Challenge, a competition organized to harness innovation and tackle a societal challenge: to improve the lives of healthcare patients. During the week, the IMD and ECAL students will explore the processes of creating new ideas, insight-gathering, prototyping and pitching. 

Orchestrating Winning Performance (OWP)

On the occasion of IMD’s signature program, Orchestrating Winning Performance from 25 to 29 June 2018, several graduates from ECAL will participate in discussions in the design thinking stream led by Cyril Bouquet and will focus on what business can learn from the art world. Professor Cyril Bouquet leads IMD’s participation in the partnership and focuses on teaching innovation and design thinking notably in the MBA innovation Lab. Professor Stéphane J.G. Girod delivers teaching on the luxury industry and Professor Peter Vogel shares his expertise in entrepreneurship and start-ups. Other focuses include business model strategy, marketing and sustainability. Nicolas Le Moigne is in charge of the MAS in Design for Luxury and Craftsmanship at ECAL. According to IMD President Jean-François Manzoni: “IMD is delighted to partner with ECAL. We look forward to sharing our expertise in areas such as innovation and entrepreneurship and to contributing to developing up-and-coming leaders in the art and design sector. We also warmly welcome ECAL’s contribution and participation in several of our programs, including the MBA and our signature program OWP. Our region is rich in outstanding academic institutions and our growing interaction with several of them is extremely promising.” Alexis Georgacopoulos, ECAL’s Director said: “I am glad to collaborate with such a prestigious institution as IMD, thus connecting two worlds, business and design, that are not always taught together at the academic level.”