The InNoWest network meeting 2024

On 21 June, the third joint meeting of the InNoWest project took place in the Wissenschaftsetage (WIS) of the Bildungsforum in Potsdam with a good 50 participants. The event provided an overview of the current work in the network and created inspiration for possible joint paths into the future.

At the third network meeting, the employees of the network presented the various topics and transfer projects of InNoWest in a poster session and engaged in dialogue with colleagues and practice partners. Colleagues from the Knowledge Transfer team then moderated a workshop to jointly reflect on the experiences and findings from the first year of collaboration. They discussed what expectations practice partners and employees had of the joint collaboration and which of these had materialised or not materialised in order to derive insights for the future. Even though this revealed a certain tension between theory and practical work, an improved dialogue between the specialist disciplines and between the three universities in the network was nevertheless perceived. This reflection workshop enabled cross-university thinking, a change of perspective and an exchange of experiences.

In the afternoon, a future lab took place in which FUON Futures visualised different perspectives on the future of North-West Brandenburg with the participants. Firstly, future expectations for the year 2040 were collected: More concentrated cities, the effects of climate change in the form of water shortages, drought and forest fires, changes in terms of mobility, the energy transition and digitalisation were formulated by the participants as likely futures. The next step was to visualise our positive visions of the future. A common desire for communal, sustainable living in functioning ecosystems became apparent. Assumptions were then made as to how this desired future could be achieved. In the end, one question remained unanswered: How can each and every individual contribute to this desirable future? The answer came on a postcard - addressed to the individual "future self". Mailing? In the future.

"InNoWest - Simply do it! Sustainable and digital together in North-West Brandenburg" is a joint project aimed at innovation in North-West Brandenburg and brings together two major transformation challenges: Sustainable development and digitalisation. The network supports the sustainable development of the region with transfer projects on the topics of "user-centred digitalisation", "sustainable transformation" and "shaping society".

The network partners are the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE), the Potsdam University of Applied Sciences (FHP) and the Brandenburg University of Applied Sciences (THB). Together with regional stakeholders from politics, administration, local authorities, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and civil society, the network partners design and realise transfer projects for the region.

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