GameChangers: Innovating Business Education

WSB University, Poland 

 
Paweł Urgacz is an experienced International Education Manager with a demonstrated history of working in international dimension by developing and coordinating numerous international projects funded via EQUAL, LLP, Erasmus+ including CBHE projects, Norway Grants, Polish-Lithuanian and Polish-Ukrainian Youth Exchange Funds etc., thanks to which he has gained a great deal of knowledge on project management and communication skills on how to work in a multicultural environment. Paweł Urgacz is a strong higher education professional at WSB University with certified Teaching staff /Researcher/Internationalization expert knowledge on internationalization of higher education institution. Since 2012 he has been working as the Head of International Relations Office of WSB University, Poland where he is in charge of international education, mobility programs, global partnerships and currently international accreditations. As the Dean for Internationalization engaged in activist of internationalization of study curriculum by implementation of modern methods of education as gamification and challenge-based learning. He is strongly engaged in providing international experience to the possible widest group of students by engaged them into COIL activities, blended intensive programs and micro credentials.
 
 

TUD Dresden University of Technology 

 Helge Fischer (Ph.D.) is professor in Business Administration at IU International University and senior research fellow at the University of Technology in Dresden as well he coordinates the research cluster for Digital Learning and Gaming Cultures. His main research areas are technology enhanced learning, game based learning, educational management, organisational design and digital leadership.
 
 

Dutch Defense Academy, the Netherlands 

Rick Verhagen is a gamifier, storyteller, educational designer, and enthusiast. He currently focuses on future-proof responsible leadership and sustainability, designing new experimental learning environments that enable students to fly. Rick creates education that embraces a holistic approach to student well-being rather than normative performance, believing that the formative process of how students develop is essential to meaningful learning.

He currently works at the Dutch Defense Academy and has previously worked at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences
 
 

Fachhochschule Dresden (FHD) - University of Applied Sciences 

 
Prof. Dr. Marius Brade is a Professor of Media Informatics at the University of Applied Sciences Dresden (FHD), where he also heads the New Work Design Lab. Since 2014, he has been exploring the concept of New Work and how knowledge work can be reimagined and work processes made more innovative. His teaching and research focus primarily on User Experience Design.

Doba Business School, Slovenia 

 
With a PhD in Business and Management field, Marina is an Associate Professor at DOBA Business School with extensive experience in managing international projects related to entrepreneurship and education. Her expertise spans across numerous areas, from entrepreneurship research to hands-on consulting and teaching. She has taught at both DOBA Business School and GEA College, Faculty of Entrepreneurship, while also gaining knowledge through training programs in the USA, UK, and Germany.

Marina has led and contributed to a wide range of national and international projects. Notably, she manages the Game4Change Erasmus+ project focused on gamification, the baSE Erasmus+ project in social economy/ social entrepreneurship, and Ecosys4you, a Horizon project on startup entrepreneurship. She has recently completed the “Leaders of the Green Economy” and DIG-AGE+ projects.

At DOBA Business School, she teaches Family Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship and corporate culture, and Business Forecasting and Sustainable Development Strategy at undergraduate and master’s levels. She has mentored the creation of over 700 business plans and supervised more than 200 bachelor and master theses, as well as PhD students. Her research includes family and women’s entrepreneurship, social economy. She regularly publishes in international journals. She also serves on the review panel for EFMD EOCCS international accreditation, ensuring educational excellence in entrepreneurship.
 
 

Rotterdam Business School, RUAS, the Netherlands 

 
Linda Mertens-Kluver is a lecturer at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences (RUAS). She is an active contributor to the Game4Change project, where she was involved in developing the curriculum and creating game-based learning scenarios. She also piloted and taught the course developed within the project herself

TU Dresden, Germany 

 
Josefin Müller is a research associate at the Media Center of Technische Universität Dresden (TUD). Her work focuses on curriculum development, the design of playful workshops, and various aspects of educational innovation. Her research interests include game-based learning, gamification, digital teaching and learning, and broader educational innovations. She was also part of the Game4Change project for two and a half years.

Matthias Heinz is a research associate at the Center for Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching (ZiLL) at the TUD Dresden University of Technology since 2023. Prior to this, he worked for over a decade at the Centre for Open Digital Innovation and Participation (CODIP) at TUD and previously coordinated projects at HTW Dresden. He has also worked as a trainer for various institutions in Germany and abroad. He earned his master’s degree (M.A.) in Further Education Research and Organisational Development at TUD and his bachelor’s degree (B.A.) in Education with a minor in Psychology at Chemnitz University of Technology. His work and research focus on higher education didactics, further education, e-learning and blended learning trends, esp. gamification.

University of Applied Sciences Mittweida 

 
Dipl.-Kffr. Claudia Gränitz-Kleiber has been part of the team at MIKOMI | University of Applied Sciences Mittweida since 2015, serving as an expert in personnel development, continuing education, and professional training. Prior to that, she worked for around nine years as a personnel and training manager as well as a human resources developer in a medium-sized logistics company.

She brings her expertise in labour market development, changing demands for skilled professionals and leadership roles, and the evolving dynamics of supply and demand in vocational training into her current role at MIKOMI, where she works as a training consultant and trainer.

Her work includes advising companies on leadership-level applicant selection procedures (assessment centres) and conducting psychological potential analyses.

XPLAB, Germany 

 
Vincent Katsoulis is a Game Artist at XPLAB, specializing in 2D and 3D art and animation. His work includes game design, graphic design, and user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design, with a focus on creating engaging and visually compelling interactive experiences.
He holds a Master’s degree in Game and Interactive Media Design from LUCA School of Arts.

Founder SupraTix GmbH 

 
Tobias Göcke holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from TU Dresden. Early on, he discovered his entrepreneurial spirit—during his studies, he developed the web-based “ChemTics” learning toolkit and won the ChemCar competition in 2012 with a fellow student. These achievements laid the foundation for his professional journey, including research roles at TU Dresden and Lonza in Switzerland.

In 2014, he founded SupraTix GmbH with support from the EXIST start-up grant. As Managing Partner, he leads the development of AI-driven solutions, cloud-based software, and digital platforms such as SupraWorx, SimulateOS, and openReactor, all aimed at creating digital ecosystems for learning and work. He also serves as Interim CEO for two spin-offs focusing on cyber resilience and e-learning (Course Compose).

Chemnitz University of Technology 

 
Martina Seemann (M.Sc.) is a PhD candidate at Chemnitz University of Technology and a former member of the EU-FairPlay-Network.
She graduated in psychology at the Johannes Gutenberg-University in Mainz, Germany. Her research interests include game-based learning and instructional design aspects for neurodivergent individuals, with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in particular.

co-initiator R42 

 
Tom Potutschek is a free spirit who has given shape to his visions through co-founding various companies, such as GECKO.2.
In addition to his extensive experience as a business graduate in the field of start-up and innovation consulting, he is also a co-initiator of the R42 project.
R42 is an ecosystem for the games and media industry in the heart of Leipzig, covering the entire value chain of the games sector across 1,700 m².