Many of the students in the course come from developing countries. The course focuses on the development, management, protection, and commercialisation of innovations in developed countries. But the lecturers felt that the ambassador could provide a different perspective on how non-technical innovations such as small business development could also play a role in business innovation. This could be particularly useful in the context of developing countries.

Frederik Situmeang explains: ‘A few months I was invited to lunch with the ambassador. I seized the opportunity to ask him to give a guest lecture on how the government helps nurture small business innovation. My colleague Vilma Chila and I also felt that hearing about non-technical innovations implemented by the Indonesian government could inspire our students to recognise the crucial role governments can play in innovation management.’ 
After the lecture, various joint projects with Indonesian institutions were discussed with the ambassador.