We drive innovative concepts

Concepts applied:  

• Community engagement 
• Design Thinking and Co-creation 
• Focus on 21. Century Skills 

Change Lab 1.0 was initiated in 2018 and was an open forum based on student-driven interests, made by-and-for students. The initiative was begun with three goals in mind:  

(1) The development of all-rounded critical thinking and effective communication competence to effectively utilize and transfer the knowledge to their peers, (2) the development of intercultural, creative and co-learning competence by embracing innovative and bold ideas or suggestions from others with an inclusive and embracing environment and (3) the development of problem-solving, adaptive competencies to deal with new challenges in the future. 

During the two years, two main events took place. The first one being about cultural diversity and the second one about veganism, climate change and animal welfare. Change Lab was initiated as a friendly, open-minded, non-judgmental and safe environment to allow different voices to be heard "In Change Lab, we listen to what is on your mind. Then we help you start the discussion."  

Based on this working environment, two main and innovative outcomes were derived from the events:

(1) The introduction of pictograms and picture charts in clinics and hospital premises to overcome language barriers between foreign patients and doctors. Thereby, improving communication, reducing language-based interference and advancing the service quality in public-health sector.  

(2) The introduction of an app to track the carbon footprint of food products from manufacturing to delivery process. It serves as a search engine for economic and vegan food. Furthermore, Change Lab accomplished to bring three inspiring and esteemed speakers together, who not only shared their valuable insights but also judged the innovation round pitches and provided an extensive networking opportunity to the audience. 

Concepts applied: 

• Community development 
• Digital engagement 
• Social entrepreneurship 

Change Lab 2.0 was founded on the idea of Change Lab 1.0, however, due to the restrictions of the pandemic Covid-19, the forum had to take place in a different format in 2021. Change Lab 2.0 was still committed to offering a shared platform for students, academics and the local community members to discuss pressing societal matters. The goals were: 

(1) To provide a platform for meaningful discussions on social entrepreneurship and sustainable business practices,

(2) to strengthen the community of invested collaborators to discuss innovative ideas about pressing societal challenges by emphasizing on "community development and "social entrepreneurship" and

(3) to foster digital engagement to keep the discussions alive and to create a new position focusing on networking and public relations. 

An online event on social entrepreneurship and innovation with over 100 participants was organized. The purpose of the event was: 

(1) The identification of like-minded collaborators and to foster students' and citizens' commitment and engagement. 

(2) The establishment of an "alumni" network was achieved via a LinkedIn page and further, social media was also used as a tool to offer participants better access to the event (i.e., website, LinkedIn, Instagram).  

Concepts applied: 

• Science-for-Society and Citizen Science 
• Openness and Living Labs 
• Research Principles and Design Thinking 
• Focus on Sustainability 

Change Lab 3.0 is a collaborative project with the climate community Saerbeck and the Maximilian-Kolbe-Gesamtschule (MKG). A level 12 course at MKG was guided by a project team consisting of students of the Münster University of Applied Sciences and Judith Helmer as the project leader. The initiative was established for the following reasons: The creation of an impactful and sustainable change in society. The project went beyond the classroom, and the pupils got the chance to impact their local community by researching self-selected socio- or natural science topics that interest them personally. The initiative fostered innovative and out-of-the box thinking and a collaboration of a range of stakeholders. 

The project first took place between 2023-2024 and during the course, the pupils visited FH Münster University of Applied Sciences and the university students conducted five workshops at the MKG. The guiding question of the joint project was: How can we enable the pupils to create impactful research projects that tackle pressing societal issues in their surrounding? Throughout the process, four major achievements were accomplished: 

1. The pupils learned how to navigate the individual stages of the empirical research process through engaging materials and an interactive way of learning.  
2. Tools from Design Thinking were used to address the research process and to illustrate the practical implications, context and significance of their research. 
3. The pupils conducted their first independent research project by applying scientific research methods. 
4. The pupils pitched their research in front of politicians, the citizens and the mayor of Saerbeck and shared their knowledge about the pressing matters of their local community.