Companies that are looking for fresh insights into their HR or change management challenges are invited by Erasmus University Rotterdam to explore new ideas and evidence-based approaches while contributing to the development of future professionals. The university’s business school, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) is inviting businesses and organisations to collaborate with students of the MSc People, Organisations, and Change programme from September to December 2025 on a strategic project. Students work in teams of 3–6 students on a real-life organisational challenge related to people or change and connected to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The four-month project gives students the opportunity to apply their academic knowledge in practice while delivering valuable insights and recommendations to a host organisation.
The invitation is open to all kinds of organisations that are facing a challenge that’s related to people or organisational change. The minimum size is at least 30 full-time employees. It could be problem solving issues like improving the way the organisation attracts and retains its new generation of employees, or finding out why employees are leaving and reducing turnover.
Or it could be to do with implementing a new strategy across teams within the organisation or using Generative AI to support organisational transformation.
The master students will conduct in-depth research of the issue, and deliver a diagnosis that’s based on evidence, together with a strategic plan. Their professional-standard final presentation will include a plan for implementing their recommendations.
In return for the students’ consultancy work, participating companies need to assign a representative to act as company coach, who can expect to spend around 17 hours in total – around an hour per week – between September and December to answer the students’ questions and guide the team within the organisation. The company coach also needs to attend the launch of the project on 19 September 2025 and the final presentations on 16 December when the teams of students will make their presentations to the organisations they have been working for.
The student cohort is highly international, so the support they receive should also be in English. Coaches can anticipate guiding students using their expertise and knowledge; responding to student emails about the organisation or general collaboration; and facilitating the students’ collection of data.
The programme’s managers would like to have participating companies signed up by the end of June, so for more information, please contact Sara Rodrigues Soares, Education Coordinator: msc.poc@rsm.nl before 28 May 2025.