Imagining concrete solutions to meet the challenges of the energy transition ...this is the common thread running through the creativity workshops offered by Lab e·nov®, IFP School's digital culture laboratory.
Open to a wide range of participants, including students, graduates, teachers at the School, IFP Energies nouvelles employees and/or industrial partners, these structured work sessions encourage participants to think outside the box and come up with innovative, realistic solutions to a given problem.
"In a rapidly changing world, creativity is essential to transform complex challenges into innovative solutions," notes João Silveira, Head of the Creativity and Innovation Hub at Lab e·nov™.
A structured environment to discover your creative fiber
Lab e·nov™ creativity workshops are tailor-made. They take place in groups over half a day or even several days according to the needs expressed, and take place in the laboratory's collaborative spaces.
Incorporating various interactive methodologies such as design thinking, the workshops are structured around three stages:
- Definition: targeting and structuring the problem to be addressed;
- Ideation: stimulating a flow of ideas related to the problem (via brainstorming);
- Prototyping: designing the first models of the project and drawing up a detailed development plan.
The workshops include practical exercises, role-plays, theoretical input and debriefs.
"Some people feel they lack creativity, or find it difficult to reconcile their ideas with those of their colleagues. Our caring and stimulating approach enables them to express themselves without fear, boosting their confidence and unleashing their creative potential," explains João.
Promoting collective innovation: initial feedback from the School’s experience
Since its creation in 2020, Lab e·nov™ has organized dozens of creativity workshops to meet the needs of the School's students and teachers.
Solicited by IFP School's Georesources and Energy and Energy Economics and Management Centers, Lab e·nov™'s Creativity and Innovation Hub led a series of collective intelligence workshops in 2023, for example, aimed at program supervisors and permanent teachers. Their aim: to unleash their creativity to design new low-carbon-oriented training courses.
Each year, the Hub supports IFP School students in the "Innovation and Entrepreneurship" project, organized as part of the Professional Skills Module (PSM). This project, which traditionally takes place over three weeks in December, provides participants with training in innovation management.
Divided into teams, students learn about business creation and work on projects linked to the energy transition. They receive professional coaching and take part throughout the module in creativity workshops to generate ideas, design business models and marketing plans, and prepare for a final pitch in front of a professional jury.
"At the end of 2023, we wanted to further stimulate their creativity by asking them to draw inspiration from the TV show "Qui veut être mon associé ? (Shark Tank)," explains João Silveira.
"Students learn not only to activate their creativity, but also to develop cross-disciplinary skills such as oral fluency, collaboration and open-mindedness. This ability to reinvent their role as engineers in the service of the public good will be decisive for their future careers," João points out.
A major challenge, given the ecological and economic challenges of the energy transition!
If you are interested in the Lab e·nov™ creativity workshops, please contact João Silveira.
Article written by Meyling Siu