This course covers the role of makerspaces in promoting sustainability, innovation, and global development goals (SDGs). You will learn how makerspaces contribute to local and global progress and how to advocate for policies that support them. The course also provides strategies for analyzing and implementing key policy recommendations, while exploring the challenges makerspaces face and proposing solutions for their future growth and scalability.
Duration: 5 weeks Efforts: 25 hours Pace: 5 hours/week
Grounded in practical methodologies and strategies from the handbook, this course ensures a hands-on learning experience and guides participants in bringing their business ideas to life by creating and scaling successful startups.
Duration: 7 weeks Efforts: 35 hours Pace: 5 hours/week
This course brings together two essential areas for makerspaces and small and medium enterprises (SMEs): market engagement and business model development. It provides a comprehensive framework to guide market expansion efforts, covering key concepts and practical strategies for connecting with local and national markets. Participants will gain an understanding of how to analyse the business landscape, identify target sectors, and engage with relevant innovation and research ecosystems.
The course also focuses on business models within makerspaces, addressing the financial sustainability challenges many spaces face. It offers insight into tailoring business models to generate income and foster growth, drawing on discussions from one-to-one mentoring sessions. The content is designed to be flexible, enabling makerspaces to apply the strategies as needed.
Additionally, the course includes bonus peer-learning webinars, where makerspaces involved in the peer-learning sessions will share their experiences. By the end of the course, participants will have a thorough understanding of how to engage with local markets and develop a sustainable business model for their space.
This course provides learnings for makerspaces to raise more money by winning grants and contracts. Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of how to improve project design for funding, fundraising, tendering and pricing projects.
The course reflects the fact that most makerspace managers write proposals and tenders routinely – though most have never had any bid writing training or support. The course therefore focuses on quality, ‘tips and tricks’ and increasing success rates – so not on the basics of accessing funding but rather on improving makerspaces’ performance in fundraising.