Innovation

Accelerating innovation through enterprise-student collaboration in Dublin

Szilvia Szabó — Thu, 11 Jan 2024 11:41:41 +0000

Accelerating innovation through enterprise-student collaboration in Dublin

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Collaboration

Innovation

Dublin

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Collaboration

The award-winning ENFUSE program led by Dublin City Council (DCC) and Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Dublin City is open for applications to match local enterprises and social enterprises with teams of Master’s university and college students in Dublin.

During the spring 2024 semester, teams of students will work with selected enterprises to provide insights, propose solutions, and ultimately present a bespoke and tangible plan that sets out how the enterprise can innovate, address challenges, and develop opportunities.

Student teams can assist participating enterprises with various topics ranging from strategy, marketing, and design thinking to finance, data analysis and machine learning.

Steve O'Reilly, communication manager at The Rediscovery Centre, the National Centre for the Circular Economy in Ireland, participated in the program in 2023 by providing a communication challenge to students.

He highlighted that “taking part in ENFUSE helped us think outside the box, provided us with a framework for how to translate theory into publicity, and shaped our marketing for the years to come.”

“With ingenuity, creativity, and flair, the fantastic team of students devised an intelligent marketing campaign that translates a complex topic into something that will really resonate with our target.”

The overall objective of the ENFUSE program is to support local enterprises by providing bespoke plans to innovate, address challenges and develop opportunities while providing Master’s students with real-world experience and enhancing the local innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Businesses can benefit from new ideas at no extra cost with extra promotional opportunities, screen potential future employees from the student teams, and avail financial support to employ graduates.

“I highly recommend businesses to participate. It keeps businesses in touch with emerging trends and fresh thinking from the students and allows students to gain live experience with businesses in their community,”

said Kate O'Moore from MAKER, a previous participant of ENFUSE.

The application is open to enterprises, social enterprises, and entrepreneurs primarily based in Dublin, with consideration given also to enterprises based outside Dublin.

The submission deadline is 23:59, 18th of January 2024, through an online application platform.

Shortlisted student teams can also compete at the ENFUSE finals in May, where teams can represent their university and compete by pitching to expert judges on the plan they created for their assigned enterprise.

Greg Swift, head of LEO Dublin City, adds that the competition allows the LEO to "tangibly support local enterprises and also promote the benefits of hiring graduate students who are well placed to support the digital and green transitions, amongst other challenges a business may face”.

ENFUSE final student pitch session 2023 at the Wood Quay Venue, Dublin. Image: Dublin City Council

ENFUSE began in 2019 and has gone from strength to strength since. Involving more universities and colleges, its impact has increased as more enterprises, students and project partners have participated and benefited.

The program was selected as a National Winner in the European Commission’s - European Enterprise Promotion Awards (EEPA) 2022 under category 3, which recognises innovative projects and approaches that improve the business environment and support the digital transition.

In addition, ENFUSE was shortlisted as an overall EEPA European finalist project and shortlisted at Chambers Ireland - Excellence in Local Government Awards 2022 in the category of Promoting Economic Development.

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January 2024

“Go beyond the frameworks and empower entrepreneurs!”

Szilvia Szabó — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 16:41:18 +0000

“Go beyond the frameworks and empower entrepreneurs!”

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Circular Economy

Innovation

Topic

Circular Economy

Fireside chat with Agnieszka Sznyk, Ph.D. - President of the Board of INNOWO, a non-profit Think Tank based in Poland, working on implementing circular economy practices and systemic transformation.

With about nine years of working on circular economy and related projects, I would say that the concept has become mainstream within the sustainability community and is making its way outside of these circles.

However, one of the cornerstones to making the circular economy mainstream in the business sector is that it must be profitable.

It doesn`t make sense that virgin materials are still cheaper than recycled ones or that design solutions embracing longevity and repairability are significantly more expensive.

Due to my work that includes a lot of analytics, I come across many failure stories and see how little is actually happening beyond the idea or start-up phase.

There are a lot of great innovative circular ideas coming up and more programs to support them, but at present, they are mostly enough to take the initial steps, and when the money stops, the projects die.

There are promising sectors, such as the Bioeconomy, where we can see much interest and innovation focusing on converting biomass to energy, using bacteria in wastewater treatment or algae in carbon management and designing bioplastics.

Agnieszka Sznyk, Ph.D., circularity expert and President of the Board of INNOWO

Based on my experience, we should support start-ups to survive and get into the scale-up phase while helping SMEs embed circularity and grow as a business thanks to these changes.

Although it is a steep uphill battle as long as we are fixated on cheap products costing society instead of companies simply because the hidden externalities are not manifesting in the market price - A fiscal revolution mixed with enhanced producer responsibility could move the needle.

To see clearly what is needed, the best is to have an x-ray of the current economy and see where we stand.

That is what we had in mind when we worked on publishing the first Circular Economy Gap Report for Poland.

To everyone`s surprise, the Polish Circularity scores relatively high, at 10.2 per cent, compared to Norway scoring 2.7 and Sweden at 3.4, while the world average is 7.2.

No one expected that result that clearly shows a massive potential for the Polish Economy to close the loop.

The biggest lesson from creating the report was to measure what we can and be more confident of where we are and are headed – perceptions and appearances are not enough for this kind of transformation.

According to the Circular Economy Gap report, the Polish Circularity scored relatively high compared to world average in 2022.

The other conclusion for me reiterated the importance of cooperation and how much we can still learn from each other.

Most of the time, we don`t need to reinvent the wheel; just listen and adopt tested and proven to be working ideas. Think about, for example, the growing clothes renting trends.

If bigger fashion brands were to introduce these models, they would be inclined to design better-quality products that can be used for longer.

This could have a ripple effect on the whole industry.

Multinational companies have a massive role to play through their supply management, yet still, a circular economy is more about focusing on local communities than globalisation.

We need a mindset change to start thinking about the end of the life of products.

How can it be dismantled, reused, or repurposed, or what happens if it ends up in the landfill?

A good circular project would always start with design.

Getting the public interested and buying into circularity is also a big chunk that needs to be dealt with. We have arrived at a stage where we need less conversation and more action.

I firmly believe that if we can keep it practical and feasible, going circular would solve many pressing climate crisis issues.

Promoting Circular Economy is at the core of INNOWO`s work in Poland.

We are involved with the Polish Circular Hotspot, a public cooperation platform for transitioning into a circular economy.

This is a multistakeholder collaboration where we work with businesses of all sizes to educate them about circularity, support them in developing solutions, and build circular value chains.

Through a collaboration with the Metabolic Foundation, we are also participating in the Circular Cities Programme to develop city-wise strategies and analyse material flows to bring long-lasting system change.

To foster collaboration, we are the main facilitators behind the Circular Week annual international event that brings together leaders from different sectors and allows organisations to join the movement by participating and hosting partner events.

It is an international campaign aiming to promote the idea of a circular economy, support sustainable business models and establish cooperation between interested stakeholders.

The sixth edition will take place on 23-27 October 2023, with the Mazovia Circular Congress held on 25 October as the focal moment of the week.

The next big thing for me is to run practical pilots on the ground, such as a sustainable food hub or urban farming project in one of the Polish cities, while connecting partners to make it happen.

I thoroughly enjoy working with people in this space who are typically highly motivated and enthusiastic as they believe what they do is important, which also keeps me grounded and inspires me to keep going forward.

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September 2023

Can blue food help save the planet?

Sasha Cohen Ioannides — Mon, 03 Apr 2023 10:05:06 +0000

Can blue food help save the planet?

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Globally, three billion people rely on fish and seafood for 20% of their animal protein intake, which means that around 6.5% of all protein consumed comes from fish, based on figures released by the World Bank.

Seafood consumption has doubled within the past fifty years due to wealth increase and the desire to decrease other animal protein sources.

This rapidly growing trend has led to over 90% of fish stocks being over or fully fished and disrupting marine ecosystems.

The demand is expected to be doubled again within the next 50 years.

Seafood-based proteins produce much less environmental impact than terrestrial-based ones, primarily due to the lack of land required to grow them.

Thanks to the diversity of blue foods, including fish, many invertebrates, aquatic plants, algae, and other aquatic animals, this diet can also impact humans’ health positively.

Due to the overfishing of predators, similar to overhunting on land, many otherwise hunted species begin to overpopulate, which can easily unbalance fragile and complex underwater ecosystems.

Turning challenges into opportunities there are areas where innovative and sustainable solutions are popping up thanks to impact-driven leaders.

One such case is with sea urchin populations that overgraze kelp and seagrass forests, turning the water into a desolate wasteland.

Startup Urchinomics is managing urchins populations while producing premium seafood products. Image: Pexels

Norwegian-based startup Urchinomics solves this problem by rehoming the urchins into ranches, where they go from annoying pests to a premium seafood product that can be consistently supplied year-round.

This way, food is farmed while positively affecting the environment, recovering a healthy ecosystem with a particular focus on sea kelp forests.

Addressing harmful urchin overpopulation with an innovative solution that preserves marine life by creating food is also proven to be a viable business model.

While sea urchins face overpopulation, other marine animals, such as sea oysters, have been underpopulated. This results in undersupply and also negative environmental impacts.

Oysters might not be as famous for their critical role as coral reefs. Still, they provide multiple benefits, such as water quality improvement, nursery habitat for fish, and reduced nitrogen levels, while contributing to the local economy and culture.

A sustainable farming business, The Oyster Restoration Company, based in the United Kingdom, aims to fix this problem by providing 150 million native oysters annually.

They are working on this by selectively breeding oysters to create disease resistance, a common problem in aquaculture.

They work to bring balance back into the environment and improve farm yield to reduce dependency on pacific species.

Oysters are overlooked for their ability to improve water quality, provide fish nurseries, and reduce nitrogen levels while contributing to the economy and culture. Image: Pexels

Although farming fish and invertebrates is becoming more popular, seaweed farming is getting more attention as this plant absorbs carbon dioxide and nitrogen while protecting seabeds.

Oceanium, a Scottish enterprise, is a sustainable seaweed farm that meets many industries’ needs by producing food, feed, and biomass. They launched the “KELP-EU” or “Kelping the EU”, an 18-month project with multiple partners that allows them to study seaweed further.

However, not all farming has to be nature-based.

German-Thai company HydroNeo brings the process of shrimp farming to the future through Internet-of-Things technology. They have developed a smart farm management system that allows farmers to check pH and water temperature while remotely feeding and aerating their farms.

Seafood may have a lower environmental impact than land animals, we need to be aware that the pollution produced by this industry is still not as low as it is with plant-based products.

Consumers may still yearn for a fishy flavour but want plant based sourcing, as they are concerned about the effects of microplastic pollution in the ocean or have ethical issues with fishing.

Swedish company, Hooked offers a 100% plant-based substitute for tuna and salmon. Image: Hooked

Swedish-based enterprise Hooked provides a terrific substitute for tuna and salmon through a combination of sustainable soybeans, sunflower oil, and algae.

They list all ingredient sources on their website for a completely transparent and traceable product.

By providing a plant-based vegan substitute for fish, they are reducing microplastic consumption in humans and greenhouse gas emissions from the industry, while reducing the need for fishing.

According to Hooked, canned tuna has 6.06 kg of CO2 equivalent emission per kilo of product, while their product, Toonish only produces 2.7.

It is no question that there is a huge potential for using blue foods to address many challenges.

Still, the seafood industry needs urgent re-examination to create sustainable and regenerative solutions.

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April 2023

Leading global sustainability summit returns to Lisbon

Business Spirit News reporting — Mon, 17 Oct 2022 10:12:47 +0000

Leading global sustainability summit returns to Lisbon

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Conference

Sustainable Development Goals

Innovation

Social Innovation

Portugal

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Sustainable Development Goals

Event

Lisbon

Climate Innovation

Changemakers and impact innovators from every corner of the world to meet in Lisbon.

The Planetiers World Gathering is back as an in-person and online event to bring together changemakers and impact innovators from every corner of the world to meet in Lisbon, Portugal, on 22-26 October.

The focus of this global event is to put sustainability and regeneration in the spotlight, showcasing green and inclusive innovations while elevating impact innovators and igniting system-level change.

Sérgio Ribeiro, CEO and Co-Founder of Planetiers and Co-Founder of Planetiers World Gathering, describes “Planetiers to be the ones who do not just break the system but transform it and make it better, fair and sustainable”.

“Planetiers acts as a call to mobilise companies, government organisations and civil/political decision-makers in the battle to build a sustainable planet for generations to come.”

The summit will be held at the Parque Eduardo VII and Pavilhão Carlos Lopes, Lisbon, focusing on topics such as ecology, climate change, health, poverty, education and peace.

Planetiers World Gathering 2022 edition brings together impact innovators and stakeholders to achive the Sustainable Development Goals. Image: Planetiers

With over 30,000 people from 90 countries expected to attend the event in person and online, it aims to bring together a diverse range of speakers and attendees, driven by the notion of contributing to a sustainable and inclusive transition.

Speakers include Chris Kroll, Founder & CEO of Ecosia and World Fund Investor, David Simas, President of the Obama Foundation and Ursula von Der Leyen, President of the European Commission, among others.

The event's ultimate goal is to help changemakers connect and highlight long-term sustainable solutions amid the impending climate crisis and accelerate a system transformation that can enable us to reach the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

Sérgio Ribeiro, CEO and Co-Founder of Planetiers and Co-Founder of Planetiers World Gathering. Image: Planetiers

“We’ve seen people joining this movement and claiming they are “Planetiers” mainly because they have found a community that brings a constructive narrative of cooperation and hope,” adds Sérgio.

Discussions will highlight the sustainability challenges of our time and raise awareness of the need for long-term solutions to counteract pressing global issues.

Sessions will cover a diverse range of topics, such as Cities for the future, Ocean Innovation, Inclusive green tourism and Sustainable investment and finance.

Showcasing the latest in sustainable technologies, innovative businesses and governance models, the 2022 Planetiers World Gathering will be bolstered by partnerships with several high-profile organisations, such as the European Commission, Tourism of Portugal and Lisbon Municipality.

Various ticket options are available, from daily tickets to all-inclusive access to match attendee’s interests.

Besides the conference program, there will be exhibition areas and interactive workshop sessions.

Planetiers was launched in 2017 as an online platform, and since it has become a leading event, a momentum, and even a symbol for people believing we still have a fighting chance to create a society that works for people and all other creatures on Earth.

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October 2022

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Innovation and sustainability trends showcased in Dublin

Business Spirit News reporting — Mon, 17 Oct 2022 09:50:05 +0000

Innovation and sustainability trends showcased in Dublin

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Event to connect Innovation, Sustainability and Technology in Ireland.

The Furthr Festival will present game-changing innovations, future technology, and business opportunities in sustainability on Friday, 21st October, at the Convention Centre in Dublin, Ireland.

The event, previously known as Futurescope, comes under a new name and branding but with the same passion for bringing together business leaders for a day of inspiration, learning and networking.

Attendees can explore topics across five main stages focusing on Insights, Innovation, Sustainability, Transformation and Investment with more than 100 high-profile international and Irish speakers.

Keynote speeches include topics like Guardians of the Future, presented by Sophie Howe, Future Generations Commissioner for Wales and Think global: Move quickly, delivered by Michael Culligan, CEO at Furthr.

The event is best suited for innovators and innovation seekers looking for trends, insights, ideas and connections to take their businesses to the next level.

One of the highlighted sessions will be the One2Whatch startup competition, where pre-selected innovators will pitch for the ten thousand Euro cash prize and become crowned winners as the most promising startup.

With an expected attendee number of around 1600, this is the ultimate meeting point for business leaders striving to be at the forefront of change, unlocking market opportunities.

Additional highlights of the conference include the Future Tech Arcade, The Innovation Exchange, panel rooms, an exhibition area and plenty of networking opportunities during lunch and the after-event drink reception.

One2Whatch startup competition at Furthr Festival with 10K prize money. Image: Furthr

A particular emphasis will be on facilitating collaboration opportunities between diverse stakeholders such as startups and scaleups, investors and academia.

Tickets are available on the event’s webpage.

Furthr, formerly Dublin Business Innovation Centre, has accelerated funds and connections for Irish startups since 1988, empowering entrepreneurs to advance their ambitions.

Over the years, Furthr has helped Ireland’s innovative startup founders to raise a total of €500+ million.

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October 2022

Innovative sustainability startups to meet in Germany

Business Spirit News reporting — Sun, 02 Oct 2022 14:40:37 +0000

Innovative sustainability startups to meet in Germany

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Europe's largest B2B fair for sustainable innovations takes place in Germany for the second time.

With seven innovation areas and approximately 2,500 visitors, IMPACT FESTIVAL is returning on 5-6 October in Offenbach, Germany, to discover the latest trends and innovations in the field of sustainability, and discuss the digital and sustainable transformation.

More than 170 startups will present their solutions at the exhibition area, and over 100 investors will be present to scout the market for best-in-class projects.

Around one hundred expert speakers will share their thoughts on why and how the business sector must rethink existing strategies and practices in light of climate change. Speakers include Anna Christmann, Member of the German Bundestag, Beth Thoren, Director of Environmental Action, EMEA at Patagonia, and Wolfgang Gründinger, Chief Evangelist at Enpal.

Attendees can choose from fifty master classes with a deep dive in fields like clean tech, resource efficiency, data management or sustainable finance.

"We are thrilled to host the second edition of IMPACT FESTIVAL and to have more than 100 speakers on stage with more than 170+ of Europe's most promising sustainable innovations.

We look forward to connecting thought leaders, innovators, investors and corporates and accelerating the green transformation of businesses and our entire economy,"

said Mara Steinbrenner and Linda Köpper, lead organisers of IMPACT FESTIVAL, in a joint statement.

The IMPACT Award celebrates and honours European startups that tackle current social challenges by using technology and innovation.

The IMPACT Award ceremony will also be part of the program on the first day's evening.

The award celebrates and honours European startups that tackle current social challenges with the help of sustainable technologies and innovations.

Nominees are listed in different categories, such as Education & Social Innovation, Hardware Solutions and Platform & Software (SaaS) Solutions.

In addition, enterprises will have the chance to win the votes of participants to take home the Audience Award.

As a hybrid event, people can attend in person and online. Day tickets and further information are available on the event’s website.

The IMPACT FESTIVAL collaborates with ClimateSeed, a company running decarbonisation projects, to ensure that the CO2 emission and waste associated with the event is as little as possible.

To achieve this goal, they offer exclusively vegan catering with reusable containers, use FairCup with no plastic bottles, and cooperate with service providers to align their operations.

In addition to the annual two-day event, the project also provides a platform that connects key stakeholders from the sustainability ecosystem to network and exchange ideas all year round.

The IMPACT FESTIVAL is a project of the early-stage investor and innovation unit of Commerzbank Group, which investigates future technologies relevant to business and society while promoting and developing sustainable and digital solutions.

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October 2022

Dutch Impact Accelerator program open for applications

Business Spirit News reporting — Wed, 09 Mar 2022 12:51:22 +0000

Dutch Impact Accelerator program open for applications

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Start-ups who combine ‘doing good and doing business’ can join an intense hybrid program in The Netherlands that will enable them to grow faster.

Two key players, ImpactCity The Hague and Startupbootcamp launched a joint initiative focusing on increasing the growth of sustainable start-ups in The Netherlands and strengthening the position of The Hague as the leader in building the impact ecosystem in Europe.

The ImpactCity Accelerator program is open to impact innovators already based in or those planning to establish themselves in The Hague.

“The city invests in an attractive climate for start-ups and has acquired a recognizable economic profile with ImpactCity,” says Saskia Bruines, alderman at the Municipality of The Hague.

Ten selected start-ups will get the chance to work on de-risking their value proposition and find the best way to solve a problem while also focusing on their growth strategy to scale their model.

Introduction of the ImpactCity Accelerator

The intense hybrid program will take place mainly online but will also use the facilities of ImpactCity The Hague for in-person activities.

Mercedes de Miranda, Director of Business Development at Startupbootcamp see The Hague as an outstanding place ‘when it comes to the number of impact start-up entrepreneurs who work for a better world.”

She highlighted that they came on board as partners based on their overwhelmingly positive experience at the ImpactFest in 2021, the flagship event of ImpactCity and the largest event in Europe where sustainable, innovative parties come together.

Application is open until 11th March, and sessions will be held from April to the end of June.

Throughout the three months, entrepreneurs are matched with mentors and get the chance to access a worldwide network.

At the final Demo Day event, participants get to present their work to ImpactCity, investors, potential partners and other stakeholders.

Headline image: ImpactCity The Hague

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March 2022

Open call for innovators who want to shape the future of cities

Business Spirit News reporting — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 16:30:58 +0000

Open call for innovators who want to shape the future of cities

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The Urban Future international gathering of changemakers is looking for impact entrepreneurs with projects making cities greener and more accesible.

The Urban Future event, the largest meeting for ‘City Changers’ will return as a live event in Helsingborg, Sweden, on the 1-3 June, bringing together thinkers and doers shaping the future of cities.

Organisers are calling innovators and entrepreneurs with an idea to transform cities to become more sustainable and accessible. They are looking for projects that are tackling environmental or social issues in an urban space, touching the lives of citizens and passionate about driving change.

The application is open until February 6, and 10 selected businesses will receive two complimentary conference tickets and have their travel and accommodation expenses covered.

Gerald Babel-Sutter co-founded the Urban Future global gathering in 2014 with the aim to bring together the brightest minds who strive to make their cities more sustainable and livable.

“We usually choose our topics based on the main struggles City Changers go through when driving sustainability in cities,”

said Babel-Sutter about how they decided on the focus of this year’s event.

Gerald Babel-Sutter, co-founder of Urban Future

The 2022 conference tracks combine the expertise of more than 450 leading urban shapers and will be structured around the following topics: Leadership; Changing Structures; Impact Entrepreneurs; Revitalising Neighbourhoods; Building New Districts; Skills for CityChangers.

One of the highlights of the agenda will be the transformation story of the host city, Helsingborg and how they managed to fundamentally change their operation within ten years to become a top-class hub for innovation.

“We immediately liked the fact that Helsingborg was so open with what it had tried and what worked and what didn’t,” Gerald continues.

“Helsingborg has understood that to reach their goals, they need to experiment and make mistakes along the way. In Sweden’s first municipal innovation hub Hbg Works, any idea to improve the City can be tested. A no-strings-attached vision fund invites residents to join in and realise their city development dreams.”

The Urban Future event takes place in different countries each year, offering a place for urban impact innovators to connect and exchange ideas.

Headline image: Urban Future

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February 2022

How can innovation help your back pain disappear?

Business Spirit News reporting — Thu, 30 Sep 2021 10:16:19 +0000

How can innovation help your back pain disappear?

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Innovation

Responsible Innovation

Responsible Research and Innovation

Wellbeing

Smart Health

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Innovation

Responsible Innovation

Smart Health

The concept of a Smart Chair to improve the health and wellbeing of office workers has been developed as part of a Responsible Research and Innovation project.

The pandemic and working from home have dramatically increased the time we sit on a chair and the number of people suffering from back and neck pains.

A Smart Chair helping you improve your posture and maintain good habits could be a solution to avoid the negative health implications of sitting while working.

As a part of the Living Innovation project, global digital services company ATOS worked on this problem, trying to find a solution with citizens, particularly Millenials and GenZ, experts and scientists.

“We held several Design Thinking workshops in Spain and remotely with Austrian young people to understand the real needs of these groups.

Then, experts in the company have analysed the results and tested ideas in a virtual innovation workshop,” says Lydia Montandon, Business Development Director at ATOS Research & Innovation group.

As a result, they developed the concept of a Smart Office Chair, which is expected to be ergonomically designed in line with the recommendations of therapists: it should provide good support for the back, while integrated sensors detect the incorrect postures and send information to the user.

Lydia Montandon, Business Development Director, ATOS Research & Innovation group

The company would need to cooperate with office furniture manufacturers and physicians or traumatologists to produce a Smart Chair that can meet these requirements.

“In the future, smart health will probably focus more on preventing illnesses or diseases, helping people to avoid bad habits and therefore enjoying better wellbeing and healthier lives. But, let me ask you: How do you feel about your back and neck today?”

adds Montandon.

Software developers would use AI technologies to analyse built-in sensor data and detect unhealthy patterns.

An app would serve as an interface for the users and alert them when unhealthy postures can be corrected.

The idea is that “correct” postures can progressively become normal and become a new habit for the user.

The interesting part is that this chair is designed to be “shareable”.

Once the sitting position has been improved for one person – or one employee in an organisation – the Smart Chair can be passed on to the next one.

Thus, the business model is based on the idea of health prevention benefiting both employees and organisations in the long term.

According to Lydia, the whole design process has been fascinating since they involved different stakeholders in the ideation process.

“It was an exciting experience to reach out to younger generations and experiment with co-innovation methodologies during the pandemic.

It requires a lot of effort, but the resulting value proposition is richer than what we could have been achieved with traditional methods,” she recalls.

So far, the product has not reached the market yet, but the design team expects that the involvement of all stakeholders in the first steps of the project design will enhance its adoption when the product is ready to be commercialised.

“The main barrier in embracing co-creation in product design is the time and investment needed to organise co-innovation activities involving a representative group of stakeholders, including citizens, experts, salespeople, organisers, facilitators, etc.

Another barrier is the innovative way of doing things, which is still not convincing to all interested parties. A lot of effort is needed to raise awareness about the benefits of this approach,” Montandon explains further.

Lydia believes that a change of mindset regarding designing and developing an innovative product is needed, alongside how you approach customers, involving them in the process rather than presenting a result.

One of the early achievements would be for her to see her colleagues complaints about their back pains and visits to the therapist disappear soon, and provide this relief for many other people in the near future.

To learn more about this and other Responsible Innovation projects join the 'Living in a smart future' session at the Responsible Innovation Summit virtual conference on 19-22 Ocotber.

Headline image: Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

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September 2021

First female president appointed to lead European Business and Innovation Centre Network

Business Spirit News reporting — Fri, 02 Jul 2021 14:57:31 +0000

First female president appointed to lead European Business and Innovation Centre Network

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As the next President of EBN, Cristina Fanjul aims to further strengthen the organisation by making its network more dynamic, open and inclusive.

Director of CEEI (Centro Europeo de Empresas e Innovación) Cristina Fanjul will become the first woman to lead EBN (European Business and Innovation Centre Network) as President in its 36-year history.

She has been a member of the EBN Board of Directors for five years and has a background as an expert evaluator of the European Innovation Council Accelerator start-up support initiative of the European Commission.

David Uhlir, JIC, Czech Republic, is handing over this role after providing leadership and stability to the organisation in the challenging period marked by the Covid-19 pandemic.

‘’The Board of Directors is pleased to have voted unanimously naming Cristina Fanjul, former Vice President of EBN, as its next President.

Throughout her career, Cristina has demonstrated a commitment to the association community and EBN, and a proven ability to drive alignment and result in a complex, multi-stakeholder environment,’’ Uhlir said.

Cristina Fanjul will become the first woman to lead EBN (European Business and Innovation Centre Network); image:CEEI

Fanjul is a member of the Advisory Group EU Marie Sklovodowska-Curie actions supporting researchers, sits in the Board of the Spanish National Associations of CEEIs/Business Innovation Centres and participates in numerous projects and events of the European entrepreneurial and innovative ecosystem.

’I am honoured to build upon the successful foundation of EBN.

In this unprecedented period of uncertainty, we need to be ready for anything.

My ambition, which I believe we all share, is to strengthen the network making it more open, dynamic, and more inclusive.

And as much as possible, where the pandemic allows it to seek connections and collaborations.

The ecosystem has changed a lot with newcomers in the start-up and innovation world and we need to be prepared to facilitate strong connections with those agents and actors.

The start-up and innovation community deserves the most powerful and effective version of us (European Business Innovation Centres and Associate Members), so we need to meet this ambition,’’ Fanjul shares her ambitions as newly appointed President of the EBN.

EBN is a non-profit organisation serving a pan-European community of people who use innovative business as a driver for regional sustainable economic development.

EBN's initiatives include EU|BIC (European Business Innovation Centre) certification, development and distribution of quality business support programmes, facilitation and initiation of project collaborations, global networking, and advocacy for excellent business support actors.

More than 130 certified EU|BICs and 46 Associate Members in over 30 countries are part of the global EBN network, which supported over 5,200 companies with access to finance, raising in total over €609+ million in investments.

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July 2021