Sustainable Idea Lab: Creative Minds Co-Create Solutions
During a two-day (14–15 November) Sustainable Idea Lab workshop, 25 motivated participants came together to tackle five exciting real-world challenges. Divided into five dynamic teams, they worked side by side, sharing ideas in several languages and bringing together diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences. The organizing team from Hochschule Offenburg deliberately decided not to let the groups work alone, but to guide them methodically throughout the entire process. The aim was to make the opportunities of ChallengeEU tangible and to actively support the development of ideas. Using innovative creative methods and critical thinking, we led participants step by step – from the first idea generation, through challenge analysis, to the formulation of concrete solution concepts. Each group was accompanied by a mentor from our team, who helped structure the work, offered suggestions, and ensured there was always enough room for creativity. This combination of structured coaching, creative facilitation, and responsible mentoring created a working environment that sustainably fostered the spirit of innovation. Idea Lab Sustainable brought together people from many countries and generations – including participants from Spain, France, Germany, Vietnam and Argentina. Experts, students from Hochschule Offenburg, Karlsruhe and Strasbourg, as well as creatives from different fields worked side by side, exchanged ideas, developed initial prototypes, and inspired one another. In just one and a half days, impressive results emerged – full of energy, engagement, and innovative spirit. Together with our partners, industry experts and the ChallengeEU network, we now look forward to further developing these approaches and moving into the next phase of implementation – in the spirit of a sustainable, interconnected, and human-centered future. Associated Partners: BlackForest Innovation, Baden Campus, Impact Hub, Singa Stuttgart and Strasbourg, la maison d’emploi Strasbourg
