SECTION A: CASE TWO
READ THE CASE CAREFULLY AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT
FOLLOW
DIGITAL SERVICE FOR STUDENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION
(DSSHED)
Digital Service for Students in Higher Education (DSSHED) is
an innovation platform for the creators of next generation products
and services. It was founded by the Ingenious Investment Group
(IIG). The objective of DSSHED is to boost multidisciplinary agile
innovation culture and encourage entrepreneurship in its catchment
region. DSSHED provides students and companies with a collaborative
and multidisciplinary innovation environment where students from
three regional universities create demonstrations of novel service
and product concepts coming from companies. Offered by higher
education institutes, DSSHED gives multidisciplinary student teams
the opportunity to develop demo products and services based on
company concepts. Companies ranging from local SMEs to
international large-scale enterprises as well as public
organisations collaborate with the teams.
The development of DSSHED in late 2008 coincided with the
publication of a new innovation strategy for the country to improve
its competitive position in R&D markets given increased
competition from emerging countries including China and India. The
country’s National Innovation Strategy (2008) identified that
‘around the world, leading edge companies are involving consumers
in product development. Enterprises are even processing previously
unrecognised needs together with users, thus influencing the
emergence of a completely new kind of market.’ Various forms of
open and public innovation activity are gaining ground alongside
traditional closed innovation activity. Policies must create the
preconditions for the emergence of open innovation environments.
DSSHED is part of a project which aims to facilitate new business,
services, innovation and creativity.
The IIG was established to accelerate this growth by promoting
interaction among representatives of different sectors in order to
develop new creative concepts. Great potential is seen in the
commercialisation of creative trades – especially in culture. The
goal of the Ingenious Investment Programme is to strengthen the
cultural industry and to elevate it to one of the most significant
trades in Tampere. The practical implementation of the Ingenious
Investment Programme is performed in three selected thematic areas:
the creative industries, innovations and entrepreneurship and
attractive city. Each theme has its own individual goals that guide
the selection of projects to be implemented.
The programme was funded through budget a budget of €200,000
to €300,000 per year by the local government authority. Actions
have been taken to ensure that all players in the region have been
included and involved in development of the project from the
beginning. Ensuring that DSSHED is maintained as a neutral ground
resource for all local universities gives each the confidence to
fully participate in activities and support innovation activities.
Involvement from all participants is voluntary. The value for
participants must be clear and present. By establishing the digital
service, which is open to all disciplines, and creating solid tools
and methods, which are universal, the digital service is expandable
and has proven to be a valuable tool for many industries.
Financiers and DSSHED facilitators work together to monitor
the status and results of projects and the DSSHED environment as a
whole. Some of the key figures from the first two years of
operations include:
More than 500 students engaged:
• More than 30% international students
• 72% of students involved seriously consider becoming
entrepreneurs.
More than 110 projects delivered:
• 96% of completed projects licensed by project partners
• More than 10% of students headhunted
• New start-ups, Protomo teams and co-founders
• €500,000 rewards to students.
The DSSHED project won the 2010 Regional Innovation Award from
the Assembly of European Regions. The key results of DSSHED
highlight the engagement of over 500 students in developing product
and service concepts with project partners and with over 110
projects completed or in development. As a result, 96% of results
are licensed, new jobs have been created and new companies have
been established. Within the project, in excess of €500,000 has
been awarded to students.
In order to sustain the growth and future of DSSHED, steps are
being taken to integrate innovation projects into the core
university course structure. These include offering dedicated
DSSHED courses integrated into the curriculum, thus offering
students from all local universities the chance to work in
multi-disciplinary teams with support from professors and industry
professionals. The New Factory concept helps to ensure that results
and products created in DSSHED will have a path for continuation
and development into business-creating concepts. Furthermore,
national and international networks are being created to both
generate talent flows between regions and to create maximum value
for the players involved and partner companies.
DSSHED operates on a region-wide basis with three universities
engaged in the project. The range of stakeholders involved in the
project is important with the project being managed by Hermia
Science Park and funded through local authorities. The project also
operates on a limited budget enhancing the overall value of the
achievements and impacts. The role of the students is central to
the success of the programme. It is their commitment to team
working, problem-solving and creating demonstrable solutions that
enhances the delivery of the project with the support of industry
mentors and DSSHED staff.
The development of DSSHED and its open innovation approach has
been further enhanced with its integration into the ‘New Factory’
platform which also includes Protomo and Suuntaamo as innovation
approaches that respectively support the development of innovative
ideas by entrepreneurs and business professionals and the
engagement of citizens in innovation, product and service
development.
The establishment of DSSHED as a neutral ground location, not
dependent on any one partner or university, has allowed flexibility
in growth and has given confidence to potential new partners when
joining. Running in a cost-efficient and agile manner has allowed
quick reactions to changing environments and events. Focusing on
producing concrete demo results has helped to lead a change in the
mind-set of innovation thinking in local environments. It has also
helped to change some minds to an entrepreneurial point of view.
The implementation of the project has been resource-intensive and a
continuing development process. Positive development has required a
regular cycle of evaluation and adjustment to methods and
tools.
The DSSHED project approach is highly transferrable to other
industry-university settings. The key features that should be
considered are the neutral location (not in the university, not in
a business), the approach to ownership of results - balancing
industry and student perspectives and the staffing of the facility.
The development of the ‘New Factory’ open innovation platform also
provides for transferability with its Protomo and Suuntaamo
programmes alongside DSSHED, adding value to the open innovation
support offer.
CASE TWO QUESTIONS:
Drawing on your knowledge of strategic management concepts,
analyse the DSSHED case under the following areas:
A. The main strategy underlying the DSSHED venture by
Ingenious Investment Group (IIG). Justify your choice of
strategy.
B. Explain the method of monitoring and evaluation applied and
justify your answer
C. Explain how the programme will be sustained and identify
the key success factors.
D. Identify any strengths and weaknesses.