idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Nachrichten, Termine, Experten

Grafik: idw-Logo
Science Video Project
idw-Abo

idw-News App:

AppStore

Google Play Store



Instance:
Share on: 
07/06/2010 11:18

Laboranova shows how the early phase of innovation can be shaped in future

Sabine Nollmann Öffentlichkeitsarbeit
BIBA - Bremer Institut für Produktion und Logistik

    On 8 July at BIBA: Final Conference of EU project / Research partners present results of ten million Euro project at the University of Bremen

    There is a task or a problem, and many competences are required to find the solution. Ideas are needed - from your own company, from the cooperation partners, from other companies and countries. How are they to be brought together intelligently, fast, as easy as possible, and with optimum results? Nineteen partners from nine nations dedicated themselves to this question in the "Laboranova" project (Collaboration Environment for Strategic Innovation) and will present their findings on 8 July, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., in the scope of a final conference to be held at Bremer Institut für Produktion und Logistik GmbH (BIBA) at the University of Bremen.

    The so-called "Integrated Project" has a volume of 10.3 million Euros and was funded by the EU with 7 million Euros. It was conducted from 1 June 2006 to 30 June 2010 and coordinated by university researchers in Bremen, Germany - under the auspices of Professor Klaus-Dieter Thoben, head of the BIBA research unit concerned with information and communication technology (ICT) applications for production and Director of Integrated Product Development at the Department of Production Engineering.

    Whoever wants to secure his advantage over competitors in a globalised economy must rely on innovations. The latter constitute the main source for economic success, while interdisciplinary, cross-company, and transnational cooperation is gaining more and more importance. Here, the proverb saying that too many cooks spoil the broth was given up a long time ago. On the contrary: the "cooks" are able to achieve peak results and do not even have to work together in one and the same "kitchen". With a tactical approach and the right tools at their disposal, this will be possible, and this is exactly what the "Laboranova" project is all about. It is mainly concerned with the early phase of the innovation process, particularly focusing on the creative brainstorming process, the connection between humans and knowledge objects, plus the assessment and evaluation of ideas.

    Models, processes and tools were created by means of international cooperation. In their work, the "Laboranova" project partners from science and industry set their sights on exploiting and supporting social and technical circumstances, qualifications, and joint infrastructures in order to generate innovative ideas systematically for common use.

    Klaus-Dieter Thoben: "The quality and the quantity of collaborations are about to change!"

    "The tools and methods developed in the course of 'Laboranova' support the concept of an open innovation process. Applications are especially focused on the so-called Living Labs, explains Alexander Hesmer, "Laboranova" project supervisor at BIBA. In simple words, Living Labs are very openly designed knowledge networks. Their main concern is efficient collaboration and an optimum use of internal and external information. Among other aspects, organising and designing the information flows belong to the essential problems to be mastered by Living Labs, efforts which require information and communication technologies.

    In the structural centre of collaborative working environments (CWE) – as were further developed by "Laboranova" - are therefore ICT tools that support work assignments in the early, creative phase of the innovation process.

    "New CWE generations have to support the break-up of linear work processes, manage the transfer of know-how and, for example, concomitantly integrate sociocultural dynamics into the processes. They also have to be capable of including a large number of people with most variable backgrounds," says Thoben and risks a view into the future. "In the very early phases of innovation processes, both the quality and the quantity of collaborations among the various stakeholders are about to change and massively increase the innovation output of companies and organisations." In ivory towers, we won't be able to cope with the requirements of a globalised world.

    Contacts:

    Professor Klaus Dieter Thoben (BIBA, Director of the Research Unit Application of Information and Communication Technologies in Production – IKAP)
    Phone: 0421 218-55 12 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              0421 218-55 12      end_of_the_skype_highlighting, E-mail: tho@biba.uni-bremen.de

    Alexander Hesmer (BIBA, “Laboranova” Project Supervisor)
    Phone: 0421 218-55 32, E-mail: hes@biba.uni-bremen.de


    More information:

    http://www.laboranova.com
    http://www.biba.uni-bremen.de


    Images

    Scientists must not necessarily sit together at one table, work in one and the same company or country in order to generate innovations successfully.
    Scientists must not necessarily sit together at one table, work in one and the same company or count ...
    Foto: BIBA
    None

    Professor Klaus-Dieter Thoben, head of the BIBA research unit concerned with information and communication technology (ICT) applications for production and Director of Integrated Product Development at the Department of Production Engineering.
    Professor Klaus-Dieter Thoben, head of the BIBA research unit concerned with information and communi ...
    Foto: BIBA
    None


    Criteria of this press release:
    Economics / business administration, Electrical engineering, Information technology, Mechanical engineering, Politics
    transregional, national
    Research results, Transfer of Science or Research
    German


     

    Scientists must not necessarily sit together at one table, work in one and the same company or country in order to generate innovations successfully.


    For download

    x

    Professor Klaus-Dieter Thoben, head of the BIBA research unit concerned with information and communication technology (ICT) applications for production and Director of Integrated Product Development at the Department of Production Engineering.


    For download

    x

    Help

    Search / advanced search of the idw archives
    Combination of search terms

    You can combine search terms with and, or and/or not, e.g. Philo not logy.

    Brackets

    You can use brackets to separate combinations from each other, e.g. (Philo not logy) or (Psycho and logy).

    Phrases

    Coherent groups of words will be located as complete phrases if you put them into quotation marks, e.g. “Federal Republic of Germany”.

    Selection criteria

    You can also use the advanced search without entering search terms. It will then follow the criteria you have selected (e.g. country or subject area).

    If you have not selected any criteria in a given category, the entire category will be searched (e.g. all subject areas or all countries).