In a creative Science Fiction Prototyping (CSFP) project, MAN 632 students explore the issue of technology transfer from research into products and business models of the future within the field of Organic Electronics. Thereby, students will try to tackle the challenge of how to discover opportunities for entrepreneurial ventures or corporates, which have not been addressed before. Furthermore, they will assess how to forecast the prospective market situation of the future at hand of fictious story vignettes.
The group papers create a fictional story and science fiction prototype inspired by current science and engineering research. This story prototype then serves as an effective tool to enhance the traditional practices of research, design and building radically new business models . Additionally, fictional prototypes can assist drastically in promoting opportunity recognition by advancing out-of-the-box thinking.
The project topic and its scientific foundations were enriched by a talk by Dr. Martin Gutfleisch of the Innovation Lab Heidelberg. The Innovation Lab is mainly engaging in research within the excellence cluster Organic Electronics. Martin held a highly inspiring talk in the MAN 632 lecture series last Thursday (April 18th) , which provided students with the foundations for their Science Fiction Prototyping Project.
The Innovation Lab constitutes a combined platform for research and knowledge transfer in science and business in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region. As Mr. Gutfleisch outlined, the IL is mainly concerned with the area of Organic Electronics, including strong ties to the fields of Electrical Engineering, Industrial Design, Physics, Chemistry and Material Science.
For more information on the Innovation Lab please visit http://www.innovationlab.de/en/homepage/
For more information on the projects visit MCEI.
