How can research outcomes make their way from the laboratory into practical application? What opportunities are there for researchers to actively shape their own career paths through research transfer? And above all: how does JENAINNOVATION provide concrete support along this path?
With these questions in mind, JENAINNOVATION brought together researchers from various disciplines and at different stages of their careers at the Abbe Centre of Photonics yesterday. The ‘MORE THAN A PAPER’ event not only offered insights into support services relating to innovation and knowledge and technology transfer – but, above all, provided a space for exchange, networking and collaborative brainstorming in a relaxed atmosphere.
The event kicked off with an inspiring keynote speech by Benedict Diederich (openUC2). Drawing on his own experiences, he impressively demonstrated how scientific ideas can lead to concrete applications and what opportunities arise when research is approached with an open mind and consistently developed further.
Afterwards, the teams from the Lichtwerkstatt Makerspace and the StartUpLab presented their programmes and demonstrated the infrastructure available to researchers in Jena for developing initial prototypes, testing ideas and bringing innovations to life.
However, the highlight of the afternoon was the interactive workshop ‘Build your Impact Pathway’, led by the JENAINNOVATION team. Working in small, interdisciplinary groups, the participants first reflected on their own research projects, potential areas of impact and personal career ambitions. Each group then selected a project idea and collaboratively developed a possible innovation pathway.
In the process, challenges were identified, prioritised and discussed collectively: What obstacles stand in the way of successful implementation? Which partners are needed? At what stage can funding opportunities or transfer structures provide support? The Innovation Scouts from the JENAINNOVATION team facilitated the discussions and helped to link the diverse perspectives with the existing support services.
The event culminated in a joint closing session, in which the groups presented the ideas and conclusions they had developed to the other participants. This highlighted just how diverse innovation pathways can be and how valuable the exchange between different disciplines is. The presentations also demonstrated how initial thoughts can quickly develop into concrete approaches when people bring their experiences and different perspectives together.
Afterwards, talks continued in a relaxed atmosphere over snacks and drinks. New contacts were made, ideas were developed further, and the first seeds of future collaborations were sown.
Alongside the specialist insights, the focus was above all on exchange. The interactive formats enabled participants to network across disciplinary boundaries, share experiences and learn from one another. In this way, the event also helped to bring the Jena academic community closer together.
We would like to thank all participants for their openness, their ideas and the lively discussions. We are already looking forward to supporting many of the ideas developed on their journey to practical implementation!
