Global Product Development I

Global Product Development I for students and professionals (in engineering or related disciplines) who want to gain a broad understanding of how to develop products that can be successfully applied in challenging environments. It also addresses how technology can be part of reaching the UN's global goals for sustainable development. The context of the course is humanitarian operations and international development, where complexity is a core challenge to achieve results. The course combines case studies with lectures. Lectures will give you broad insights into the technical as well as social and economic challenges you will meet in product development. These insights are continuously applied in case studies. You will also be part of a team with the task to develop an idea into a concept of a technical solution that can be applied to solve a real-life challenge in a low- or mid-income country. The course includes several guest lecturers with expertise from aid organizations and companies working in challenging environments. Previous guest lecturers have come from UNHCR, Médecins Sans Frontières, Sida and IKEA. For students that want to develop an in-depth understanding of product development and project management in challenging environments, we recommend further studies in Global Product Development II. GPD I can be the basis for a degree project.