City Prototyping – hot topic at international conference on innovation collaboration

First was a roundtable discussion on ”New business models for universities orchestrating open innovation”.

 "It was a topic that really engaged people", says Lena Holmberg, Lund University. "With more than 40 people in the room, the discussion was lively."

At most universities, this type of early-stage work linked to open innovation is funded centrally or through short-term projects. Some have found a model for being paid by companies, but then for a much broader range of activities, with a strong emphasis on access to students. Among the success factors, several were repeatedly highlighted: support from university leadership, clear offers basedon dialogue about needs, and regular follow-up.

The next contribution was a presentation of the City Prototyping method, developed by Future by Lund together with universities and intermediary actors within the framework of ekip.

“When I showed the images of the canvas and all the examples, the mobile phones came out and people started taking photos”, says Lena Holmberg. “Our building blocks for ecosystem building also attracted a great deal of attention”.

Several sessions at the conference focused on the concept of the “fourth-generation university”, which emphasises creating regional value with global impact. In this context, both open innovation and City Prototyping function as excellent tools.

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