18.06.2009

A prize-winning idea on trial
Technical implementation for the open innovation bank from Tampere

The open innovation bank developed under the leadership of TAMK University of Applied Sciences is now being tried out and is to be further developed. The innovation bank is open to all; an interactive databank intended for various innovative ideas, problems, proposed solutions and future information. Last year the innovation bank was awarded the Konsta Prize for an invention and promising Finnish success story.

Toni Pippola, project manager at TAMK University of Applied Sciences and Marja Kallioniemi, senior lecturer at Pirkanmaa University of Applied Sciences have developed an Internet-based innovation bank which is open to all. High resolution image (362 Kb) Photo: Teemu Riikilä

The idea of an innovation bank, called the Open Innovation Bank System (OIBS) evolved at the Laurea University of Applied Sciences, which is also leading the development work on it. This bank is public and ideas can be freely stored there of, for example future information can be sought there. TAMK leads the technical development work on the bank and its computer science students have created an Internet-based platform for it. The implementation is based on an open code so that anyone can design, define and develop the bank’s functions.

A total of ten polytechnics have committed to the development project. In the course of this development the students learn technical methods with which, using communal methods familiar to the young folk (like Facebook, YouTube), services for networking and sharing information and experiences are developed. The development work itself of the actually open innovation bank progresses in a novel way: open and communal. This way of working will become more widespread as today’s students enter working life. Through communality further ways of generating income will gradually be created.

The national Open Innovation Bank System is unique and due to their practically oriented applied R & D work the polytechnics are partners with working and business life. The OIBS will make it easier for public organizations and SMEs to articulate their problems and to publicize their solutions, their development, comments and implementations.

In autumn the polytechnics will incorporate the OIBS into their learning methods. This will serve to strengthen the bank’s content production and later it is anticipated that users will include active pensioners. In Pirkanmaa there are expectations of receiving in the bank ideas and solutions especially regarding welfare services for the elderly, which is part of the higher education co-operation under the auspices of Unipoli. Moreover, an innovation bank with English as its working language might well in the first instance benefit immigrants, for example.

The development is set to continue until 2011 and as a modern mode of operation the OIBS may well be an international success. Then, polytechnic graduates and active pensioners may be of more significance as developers in society. The communally developed solutions in the IOBS may win awards.

At TAMK the project is part of its R&D work. In addition to the polytechnics those involved in the project include the University of Lapland, Tampere University of Technology, Turku School of Economics. The main funding agency is the innovation and expertise systems development programme of the European Social Fund.

More information: www.oibs.fi