Innovation places

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The innovation places at the University are where communities can become acculturated to and trained in innovation and entrepreneurship all the while promoting the transfer of knowledge and skills towards the socio-economic world.

Photo : FabLab Coh@bit - IUT Gradignan © Gautier Dufau
FabLab Coh@bit - IUT Gradignan © Gautier Dufau

The logic behind innovation management based on open innovation and the activities centred on users make it necessary to work with places that are open to the outside – commonly known as third places.

These places are catalysts for innovation because they are at the heart of coordinating networks and communities of use and practice. They must be visible and easily accessible to become a focal point where any player in innovation can come meet people who are similar or of interest, in relation to a specific subject or project. This is the condition that needs to be met for unexpected meetings to happen – ones that are an integral part of communities and open innovation. It is also what allows for hybrid skills to be developed as a result of smooth flows of discussion. TOTEM innovation places, or third places, are iconic innovation spaces because they create all the right conditions for serendipity.

At the University, third places have goals relating to innovation but also training.
They are both ‘new spaces for learning’ because they are designed especially for students, lecturer-researchers and administrative staff as well as ‘open innovation spaces’ because they welcome businesses and the general public and they allow for communities to become accultured to and trained in innovation and entrepreneurship. They promote the transfer of knowledge and skills towards the socio-economic world and society as a whole.

The spaces are available to anyone and everyone

FabLabs and LivingLabs are innovation laboratories where learning is based on experimentation and creativity.

The ‘Cohabit’ FabLab

The team supports members in turning their manufacturing projects into reality to design, prototype and test ideas. Membership is open to companies – they simply need to sign up. It is usually small businesses and individual entrepreneurs who come to the lab to test a prototype. Once it’s validated, they work together with the technoshop to manufacture large quantities of the product.

Website cohabit

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