Major societal challenges require constructive and creative collaboration among diverse stakeholders across societal sector boundaries. The lab of tomorrow (lot), developed by the Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has proven to be an effective tool for cross-sector innovation and joint solution development. Each lot tackles a specific SDG-relevant global challenge in a design thinking innovation sprint with the aim of jointly creating innovative solutions.
The bachelor course "Capstone Project 1" with lecturer Dr. Lars Stein is designed as an action-learning seminar to lay the foundation for a potential lot process and to explore its usefulness: students played the role of consultants for the Competence Center for Social Innovation at the University of St. Gallen (CSI-HSG) and examined the feasibility of conducting lot’s to address sustainability challenges in Switzerland. Each examined one societal topic to determine whether a lot could offer an appropriate approach to solving problems and with which partners. The thematic focuses were education, health, wealth inequality, digital participation, and social security systems. Teams conducted desk-research and interviews with relevant actors and examined existing approaches to solving the problem as well as the need for solutions. Students had the task of mapping out the ecosystem for solving the problem, finding approaches and formats already used for collaboration in the ecosystem, and finding organizations that could become sponsors and funders of a lot approach in the thematic complex.
Last Monday evening, the five student teams presented the results of their elaborate research. In all five topic areas, the teams were able to not only generate valuable insights, but also identify and create potential leads. CSI-HSG was impressed by the depth, thoroughness, and professionalism with which the students proceeded. The students were able to pinpoint exactly which areas they thought a potential lot would be effective in and which stakeholders the CSI-HSG could collaborate with.
The Capstone - Project 1 marks a great starting point for CSI-HSG having five exciting cases on which a lot in Switzerland could be developed. These will be assessed in detail in the coming weeks. The CSI-HSG would like to take this opportunity to thank all participating students for their valuable commitment and is looking forward to the next opportunity to collaborating with students.
Photo: Tobias Fehr-Bosshard