THAT WAS INNOCAMP36® 2014
On the Steyr Campus of the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria students from 20 countries have been looking for innovative ideas and solutions together with students from the region. The “customers” were eight renowned companies from different industries. The first place was taken by project group of the globally operating company Trumpf with a training model of the future. The tasks set by companies were as diverse and as colourful as the eight teams at the „InnoCamp36®“ which was carried out in English at the Faculty of Management. Alongside Trumpf were Engel, Emporia, SKF, LineMetrics, MC Technology, ZF, Rubble Master and die Bio-Hofbäckerei Mauracher. They wanted innovative ideas for developing the business issues of the future, 70 young "thinkers" from 20 nations were allowed to give free rein to their thoughts. For exactly 36 hours.
The jury awarded the first place to the project group Trumpf. What was needed was the optimal training agenda of the future. The concept which the students came up with envisages an online training course that prepares employees for the actual training. "In training courses spend a lot of time focusing on basic knowledge. That costs time and money. Our model ensures that the employee - for example, in Brazil - uses a special software on their own to bring themselves up to the required level of knowledge. The time in Austria can then be used efficiently for the actual training, "explains team member Gerald Badegruber, student at Steyr UAS degree "Global Sales and management". "Our service technicians are working worldwide providing training across time zones and language barriers. The concept presented at InnoCamp36® has convincing solutions that we will certainly pick up on, "says Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Stefanie Lasselsberger Trumpf Maschinen Austria in Pasching.
The second prize went to the project group of the company Emporia. They presented the Linz company with a marketing concept for the new smartphone for seniors. An innovative marketing concept for the products of the Mühlviertler Bio Hofbäckerei Mauracher made it to third place.
These 36 hours required creativity, team spirit and perseverance," says Dr. Margarethe Überwimmer, Dean at the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria and director of the programme "Global Sales and Managament". For her InnoCamp36® is ideal, because it is an innovative platform. “Students, pupils and companies benefit from participation in the camp. If these go out and lateral thinking is made possible, many ideas are generated. And many ideas lead to great ideas."
In order to develop these ideas, innovations and solutions the teams were allowed to use technical tools and task-specific materials which the company had made available. In addition, each team was allocated a so-called innovation coach. Finally, the team summarized their entire project phase in a comprehensible and clear way and the documentation was handed over to the CEOs personally or to their representatives.
The second staging of "InnoCamp36®" was supported by Fachhochschulförderverein Steyr, the patronage was held by Dr. Michael Strugl and Regional Research Minister, Mag. Doris Hummer.
SAP supported the event generously with four employees who provided the team with valuable input from the design thinking process.
