How to kill bad ideas?

Lessons learned

in Idea Lab

- University of Tartu -

Kalev Kaarna

Riga 2014

Idea Lab...

...a place for students

from all faculties

to form interdisciplinary teams

and implement brilliant ideas

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Interesting questions

• Why did University of Tartu start Idea Lab?

• What are we actually doing?

• Is it successful: popularity, start-ups?

• Why is the title of my presentation “Killing

ideas?”

• What can we do together?

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WHY?

• To have students with sparkle in their eye

• To have self-motivated students, who are

experienced in interdisciplinary

teamwork (not just bad group work) and

can discover & develop opportunities

• To have a pool of experienced students,

who can solve companies’ problems

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WHAT?

• Tramm 11: ideas, tasks, seminars, rooms

& labs, small grants, advice

• Vega fund: 50 000€ grant fund, advice

• Student company: seminars

• International programs: YESS, NGAL,

Student Startup Camp

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RESULTS

• 5 rounds of Idea Lab process

• 700+ following FB & weekly newsletter

• 600+ participants on events annually

• ideas come from students, companies,

from faculty & citizens & Idea Lab

• 20 teams formed annually

• about 10 additional already existing teams

coached

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RESULTS: ideas• using model helicopters for checking defects

in power lines

• mobile app to help farmers detect plant deceases

• molecular gastronomy cocktails & icecream

• touch screen game for brain rehabilitation

• using neural algorithm to help making buying cloths easier for people

• developing services for making people happy in elderly care homes

• better running tracks for Tartu etc.7

LESSONS LEARNED:

false assumptions

• Many students want to develop cool ideas

• Students have time to commit to Idea Lab

projects

• Students who come know how to ask for help

• It is easy to inform students about cool Idea

Lab projects

• Most lecturers support interdisciplinary projects

• It is possible to form teams over Internet

(without meeting people)© Kalev Kaarna 8

COOPERATION

• MENTORING: do you want to learn to give

inspirational criticism? NB! 11 weeks

commitment 1 hour per week

• JOINT PROGRAMS: international team-

up, joint courses, joint events

Contact: kalev.kaarna@ut.ee

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