Faculty laboratory moved to a real community environment to establish an innovation ecosystem
Development engine
The acquired knowledge gets its purpose in researching real problems, i.e., complex systems that exist in communities. The point is to develop innovative solutions, technologies, and paradigms that can be applied in the community in the field of new energy use, environmental protection, or digital transformation of service industries. Several actors, researchers, professors, and scientists, as well as managers, continuously participate in this process in order to combine theoretical knowledge and practical application in the final solution.
The acquired knowledge gets its purpose in researching real problems
Development engine
Result - knowledge that is applicable
Once implemented, a cycle of continuous sustainable development has begun through the establishment of an innovation ecosystem that guarantees technological transfer from research to the realm of the real economy. In this context, science can lead us towards a defined goal, such as reducing greenhouse gases through the use of wind energy or how many megawatts we can get from a mini-hydroelectric plant and at what price. To achieve such an ambitious task, the prerequisite is to participate in real projects and locations in micro-communities.
Such a model rests on two premises - the learning curve and learning by doing. The more time researchers spend trying to solve a specific problem, the more professional and experienced they become. And the result is, the more time goes by, the better. On the other hand, learning rests on real tasks. Built renewable energy systems and plants need to be continuously maintained, and the longer this process lasts, the more experience and knowledge is gained for this purpose.
Community's main engine
Imagine the Development Engine as a relocated laboratory from college to where the project takes place and where the various actors involved in the project meet and exchange concrete and current information leading to new conclusions, new challenges, and consequently new solutions. The longer the system works, the more insights and solutions are available to develop a sustainable community. We start with innovation, then its development followed, and then a practical solution that is monitored and improved over time.
The possibilities of such an approach are inconceivable from the current position because the intensity and amount of accumulated knowledge that can be applied practically continuously increases and leads to the establishment of new models and paradigms.
