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The Barcelona Telecommunication Engineering School (ETSETB) of the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC), ESADE Business and Law School and the IED Barcelona Higher School of Design presented four projects developed as part of Challenge Based Innovation (CBI). Organised in collaboration with the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) – the world’s leading centre for particle physics – CBI is an international initiative aimed at developing new solutions for the future of humankind.

Eighteen students from the three Barcelona-based schools developed four projects over the course of six months as part of an experimental innovation training programme that also included students from Italy, Norway, Finland and Australia. The objective of the programme was to create products and services that will solve problems currently faced by society.

The presentation took place at an official gala in the CERN Auditorium before an audience of the organisation’s scientists. The projects satisfied the CBI’s main objective of promoting innovation at the junction of science and society. After the presentation, the prototypes from each project were displayed at CERN’s IdeaSquare centre, where members of the audience could experience them first-hand.

The projects presented by the ESADE, IED and ETSETB-UPC students addressed four ambitious challenges: 1) reducing worldwide food waste, 2) inventing a viable system to improve the natural mobility of people with physical disabilities, 3) designing a system that would provide information on the effect of interpersonal interactions, and 4) creating a customised service that enhances well-being and safety using a combination of environmental and behavioural data.

The training programme included one month of work at IdeaSquare (15 days at the start of the project and 15 days at the end) as well as five months of virtual teamwork and face-to-face teamwork in Barcelona. The participants were guided by tutors from the seven participating universities. In this experience of co-creation and cross-disciplinary collaboration, ESADE provided management expertise while the IED and the UPC provided knowledge of design and engineering, respectively. Throughout the project, the participants used various innovation methodologies, including design thinking, with each student providing a perspective on his or her area of specialisation.
The CBI project gave the students a chance to interact with experts from CERN, the world’s leading centre for the development of new technologies. In the final phase of prototype development, the participants enjoyed a truly unique experience, working alongside CERN scientists and learning about their specific areas of knowledge.

The participation of the three Barcelona-based schools in this global initiative demonstrates the schools’ commitment to the innovation economy and to promoting international collaboration as a means of addressing society’s present and future needs. It also raises Barcelona’s profile as a world-renowned city for multidisciplinary creativity.