13 Interesting Insights to Review from the International Conference 'Digital Skills & Innovation @2030'

The international conference "Digital Skills & Innovation @2030" that took place on 11 July 2018 in Sofia, Bulgaria was attended by more than 150 delegates from various countries. The event was organised by the two partners of the "Design Thinking for Digital Innovation' Project - DigiThink No. 2016-1-BG01-KA203-023719 - KISMC and ULSIT, co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union.

The conference was organised to reveal the results of the 2-years DigiThink project, where 6 organisations were working together: KISMC - Bulgaria, State University of Library Studies and IT - Bulgaria, University of Deusto - Spain, Tecnalia - Spain, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra - Slovakia, Training 2000 - Italy. In addition to that, the international conference "Digital Skills & Innovation @2030" brought together innovation and digital experts, entrepreneurs, investors, academicians, professionals and stakeholders in the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. During the event like-minded people  had the opportunity to exchange views on various topics in the digital, innovation and entrepreneurship space and discuss potential collaboration.
​

After months of preparation and hard work during the conference all DigiThink project partners shared the results of the project, whereas the conference had amazing speakers from the UK, Spain, Italy, Romania, the Netherlands, Macedonia and Bulgaria. Moreover, the conference had a workshop panel during which all delegates had a chance to participate in a competition game for design thinking, focused on the digitization and transformation of Sofia into a smart city and during the process they had to generate and share ideas and solutions in this direction.

The event was full of excitement, great networking over glasses of wine and plenty of follow ups bringing potential opportunities for everyone.

​If you didn't have a chance to join us at this illuminating event, we have recapped it in 13 interesting insights from the speakers, therefore please check them out below:
​

1. Design Thinking for DigiThink

An approach based on Design Thinking was followed in the “Digithink” Project.
​

• Human Oriented approach: “Empathising”
• We focus on the “creators” of new digital products and services, their needs and the environment for their activity.
• In today’s fast developing and increasingly digital world, organizations face many challenges: disruptive technologies, economic pressures, globalization and, mainly, keeping up with changes in customer behaviour.

Source: University of Deusto

​2. Objectives for "Design Thinking for Digital Innovation"

• to take students out of their comfort zone of learning to create innovative products and services
• to encourage students to start their social businesses
• to develop necessary digital skills for both target groups: student teams - digital business creation and lecturers – open educational resources in courses
• to develop empathy, ethics, values, and sense of social responsibility.

Source: University of Library Studies and IT

​3. Responsible Research & Innovation (RRI)

• A major part of the current EU Research Framework Programme “Horizon 2020” is dedicated to societal challenges.
• Challenge-driven programmes are usually interdisciplinary and often cover the entire innovation chain from fundamental research to demonstration.
• Within the R&I system there have been examples of controversies and failures in fulfilling societal expectations in part because not all key actors were engaged
• Certain key issues (or policy agendas) need to be taken into account:
  - ethics
  - gender equality
  - governance
  - open access
  - public engagement
  ​- science education

Source: Tecnalia

​4. Experience Logic Marketing & Design Thinking

Design thinking can help management to build the experience platforms of the organizations, suggesting the best way for the experiences providers.

Source: University of Urbino

​5. The Agile School & Scrum Ban Lab for Business

The Scrum Ban Lab for Business with the main experiment of Agile School

• A lab for experiments for creating didactic instruments based on the toolbox applied in real practice
• Parents are the stakeholders in the education process and are kind of Product Owners, along with teachers
• Teachers are moderators, mentors and observe the processes of building the "overall picture" as they are the Product Owners together with the representatives of the companies, organizations and institutions
• Students self-organize, self-assess (somewhat) and work in teams / clusters

Source: Ivan Apostolov English School

​6. Gameplay for Inspiring Digital Adoption (GIRDA)

• GIRDA is using multiplayer touchscreen games to introduce older people to digital technology. The aim is to help them build confidence, motivation and skills in an informal, social setting where there is no pressure to learn.
• Research has shown how trust and confidence in using the internet grow quickly with first-hand experience - but many older people don’t take the first step.

Source: Trajkovski & Partners Consulting

7. Design Principles in Higher Education

Ensure that:

1. The dimensions of wickedness are prevalent in the problem; and
2. Student tasks are challenging and require them to get involved in the problem. This leads to the (experienced) open-endedness of the problem solving process and the need to cross boundaries.
3. Ensure alignment between learning goals, coaching, assessment with regard to boundary crossing
4. Organize milestones.

Source: Windesheim University of Applied Sciences

​8. Is Design Thinking the Right Tool?

Is design thinking the right tool for:

• developing technology enablers?
• creating startups?
• easily design products?

Source: Business School, University of Deusto

​9. Cluster & Digital Innovation Hub

The ARIES IT cluster in Cluj-Napoca - a great example for an active cluster that initiated a Digital Innovation Hub in Transilvania - a bottom up approach of the regional stakeholders, aiming to position Cluj and Transilvania on the map of EU network and DIH.

​An important component within the cluster is the development of working groups such as:

Source: iTech Transilvania Cluster by ARIES T

​10. Design Thinking & Intrapreneurship

How to innovate?
Where to start from?

No, it's not creating ideas...
It is FINDING PROBLEMS.

​Combining empathy, creativity, collaboration and prototyping.

Source: MJV Technology & Innovation

​11. Entrepreneurship & Innovation

The relationship between entrepreneurship and innovation:

1. Entrepreneurs use innovation to drive and achieve change for commercial or socio-economic results
2. Innovation underpins the differentiator that allows the entrepreneurs to succeed by utilising their unique skills-set and personality

Source: Ewa Galeziowska

​12. SMEs Innovation & Growth Acceleration

• SMEs represent 99% of all business in the EU
• SMEs are the backbone of the economy and have skills they can leverage
• Start-ups are interesting but risky (96% die before they turn 5 years)

​
That is why ​the IXLerator has been designed to take multiple teams in the creation of the
innovation process system and obtaining results in SMEs.

Source: IXL Center

13. Smart Cities & Accelerating Innovation

​The participants got involved in a competition game based on design thinking and focused on the digitization and transformation of Sofia into a smart city. During the process all attendees were separated into teams and generated and shared ideas and solutions on how to better integrate technology into the capital of Bulgaria for the better lifestyles of citizens. This part of the conference was assisted by Cluster Sofia Knowledge City, which aims at transforming Sofia from a traditional capital to a knowledge and smart city.

​Conclusion

The keynote speakers and the conference participants did engage in insightful discussion on the 13 topics above and we believe that everyone had a chance to learn something new and interesting that would benefit them.

If you didn't have a chance to attend, don't forget to follow our social media as well as sign up for our Newsletter.