Mini MBA is a source of new motivation and new knowledge, offering an opportunity to build new networks — YSU researcher Gevorg Shahkhatuni
For many participants, the five-week Mini MBA program of the YSU Business Incubator has become not only an opportunity for acquiring management knowledge, but also a tool for transferring scientific ideas to the next, practical stage. One of the program's winners, Gevorg Shahkhatuni, a researcher in the Center for Materials Science and Nanotechnology at the YSU Research Institute of Physics, particularly highlights the importance of strategic planning and financial literacy, which already serve as a foundation for planning new steps together with his research team.
According to Gevorg, before participating in the program, it might have seemed that transforming the results of scientific work into a product and entering the market was not a particularly complex process. However, throughout the courses it became clear that this path requires new—and often unfamiliar—knowledge, skills, and information, the need for which had not previously been fully recognized. In this regard, the transition from a scientific paper to a business, in his assessment, is far from simple.
Mini MBA bridges science and business — YSU Associate Professor Lusine Aloyan
For Lusine Aloyan, Associate Professor at the YSU Institute of Physics, Chair of Condensed Matter Physics, the YSU Business Incubator's five-week Mini MBA program served as a bridge between science and business. The program helped her turn scientific ideas into market-ready, value-creating solutions, and she was recognized as one of its winners.
"As a scientist, I often saw that many studies remained confined to laboratories without reaching real-world application. Mini MBA provided an opportunity to bring scientific ideas into life by bridging science and the market," the associate professor notes.
Reflecting on her main motivations for participating in the Mini MBA program and considering her specialization in physics, Lusine Aloyan emphasizes that her decision to join was driven by the desire to take scientific work beyond the academic environment and transform it into solutions to real problems faced by real people. In her view, physics offers a deep understanding of natural phenomena; however, in order to convert that knowledge into value-creating solutions, business thinking is also essential. It was precisely for this purpose that she sought to learn how to bring the findings of her research into the business sphere and make them applicable.
Read more
From biohumus to sustainable business: YSU associate professor among the winners of Mini MBA program
Associate Professor Narek Harutyunyan from the Chair of General Geography at the YSU Faculty of Geography and Geology, is among the winners of the YSU Business Incubator's five-week Mini MBA program. His primary motivation for participating in the program was to transform his idea into a business project, ensure its promotion, and develop practical applicability—even though his main professional field is geography.
"The Mini MBA program covered a wide range of fundamental topics and provided practical skills that were very useful to me," says Associate Professor Narek Harutyunyan.
The five-week program provided him with the opportunity to acquire practical skills in marketing, strategic planning, finance, and entrepreneurial management, while also enhancing his abilities in leadership, teamwork, and appropriately presenting ideas. According to him, the program played a crucial role in market evaluation, formulating a value proposition, and applying data-driven approaches.
Read more
From science to practical application: YSU master's student's success in Mini MBA program
One of the winners of the YSU Business Incubator's five-week Mini MBA program is Liana Khachatryan, a master's student in the "Business Administration (Management)" educational program at the Faculty of Economics and Management, Yerevan State University. For her, the program stood out for its practical orientation, intensive format, and the opportunity to connect academic knowledge with the real business environment.
Liana notes that the program was a valuable experience that can be effectively applied in her future professional and research activities, ensuring a systematic approach to the development and implementation of both scientific work and practical projects.
"Mini MBA stands out for its short yet highly focused format. It does not overload participants with theory; instead, it encourages thinking, analysis, and immediate application. In addition, the program included individual mentoring and constructive feedback, which is not always available in similar programs," she emphasizes.
