On October 2, 2020 we celebrated the first "LIO Touchdown and Takeoff Event", an event during which we welcome the new cohort of LIO, opens an external URL in a new window master students and say goodbye to the old one. This first event was special for several reasons.

First of all, the LIO master's programme, whose curriculum entered into force just one year ago in July 2019, can be called a highly innovative experiment because of its radically new course format: a full master's program that can be studied in one year thanks to its cohort principle, strict selection processes and tightly integrated teaching approach. To date, no comparable program exits in Austria. Despite this radically new format - and we know from innovation research that radical novelty is often penalized by the market - we have been able to select a highly motivated and diverse first cohort of 18 students that started studying with their first pre-term courses in July 2019.

Despite Covid we have been able to recruit an amazing new cohort of 15 LIO students. The two cohorts were introduced to each other during our Touchdown and Takeoff Event, which also took place in virtual form. Still, the students could get to know each other in small breakout rooms discussions - and they can continue building their network virtually or in person, for instance in our LIO LinkedIn Alumni Club. The event was accompanied by speeches from the Program Director Prof.in Elke Schüßler, the CEO of Netural, opens an external URL in a new window Albert Ortig, one of LIO's practice partners, and two outgoing LIO students who reflected on their learning experience.