The Lausitz Innovation Challenge offers the opportunity to strengthen your problem-solving skills with the help of excellent coaches, other creative minds, and new methods and approaches. New challenges arise almost daily in companies, associations, and municipalities. New problem-solving skills, creativity, and interdisciplinary networking are in demand. But how do you achieve this? By learning, trying, and practicing. Together!

 

1. What is the Innovation Challenge?

The Innovation Challenge is an event where diverse groups develop prototype solutions for specific or self-selected problems faced by companies, municipalities, and associations in the Görlitz district. The teams are guided and supported by coaches and mentors.

2. Who should participate?

• Employees of regional institutions from all sectors who want to learn new methods, overcome current obstacles and escape everyday thought patterns
• Developers and computer scientists who want to immediately demonstrate their skills and come into direct contact with potential clients.
• Students, pupils and young professionals

3. Why participate?

Participants develop solutions to real, current problems or challenges outside of their usual structures. Companies, associations, and municipalities send employees and volunteers to participate in the event. Participants receive application-oriented, modern methodological input. Solutions are developed in diverse teams, free from external constraints. Our coaches and mentors support the teams along the way.

The participants bring the problem-solving process and their experiences back to their organization.

Participants become ambassadors of innovation within their sphere of influence. The mixing of teams provides all participants with new perspectives. The event also serves to foster employee retention, development, and motivation.

There is ample opportunity for networking. Furthermore, the exchange of information on trends and challenges across different industries is encouraged.

Young professionals, school pupils and students come into direct contact with potential employers.

 

 4. How exactly does that work?

• Thursday, January 25, 2024 - 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM
  • Priceless Lounge, Görlitz

Kick-off event with keynote address, challenge opening, team building and initial interviews with the challenge providers. 

• Thursdays, from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM, or individually

Individual workdays for the teams, during which they work through the phases of Design Thinking and repeatedly test their ideas with the target group. The groups themselves decide where to meet (e.g., in Zittau, Görlitz, Weißwasser, or online). Furthermore, the aforementioned dates are flexible and can be adjusted if the date doesn't suit the majority of the group.

Key areas: Understanding the problem, personas, possible solutions

• Thursday, March 7, 2024
  
  • Hillersche Villa Zittau

Main goal: Pitch training and jury pitch

 

5. Summary - What can you expect from the Innovation Challenge?

• Coaching of startup methodologies,
• Learning application-oriented innovation techniques,
• Exchange and networking on innovation topics, trends and challenges,
• Networking,
• Solving real-world problems from companies, associations and municipalities,
• Abundant food (on January 25th and March 7th) and
• Participant documents.

 

information : The venues are not wheelchair accessible.