Summer Musings
In all the DIG breakfast meetings, DIG partner meetings, HUB gatherings and the board seminar I included small segments of “looking back” and “looking ahead”. The end of summer term, the start of the academic year and subsequently this The HUB newsletter is a good occasion to shortly reminisce on the last 6 months, and to lift a veil on plans and ambitions for the next term.
We can look back at a near corona-restriction-free semester, which meant that since the start of DIG and the launch of The HUB we had a chance to meet physically and deliver on our promise to create a meeting arena for our partners, and share our research.
The first such event was Innovation 2022, where Tor and his team presented the results of the Norwegian Innovation Index.
In the spring, we also started with our The HUB Corporate Workshop series. The first in April the topic of Business Model Innovation and Social Innovation with Magne Angelshaug and Tor W. Andreassen taking the lead. The second on 24 May on “Change and Organizational Learning: Sense or Sensibility” with RaCE researcher Marius Jones and Thora Lou in charge.
The new normal
We did not completely abandon the digital format, the corona-pandemic has made this part of our normal-day practice quicker than we could have imagined, and we try use this format in our new “TheHUB Samtale”, where members and friends of the HUB share insights with other HUB members.
Here we invited Christopher Pettersen and Torkjell Landås from Avo Consulting to share their the topic of low- and no-coding, and Nils Henrik Geitle, who shared how De Historiske Hoteller og Spisesteder managed to grow in a declining market.
All this happened while we continued working on the different multi-partner research project that are in the DIG research portfolio like RaCE, BEST in Retail, and C4. But also the many independent research initiative that take place in DIG. Initiative that provide content for upcoming events.
An exciting semester
Looking ahead it will be an exciting semester with lots of action. We have Arendelsuka where many DIG and HUB partners will be present. Some of the events are presented in this newsletter and we hope you have the opportunity to join them physically or, if available, online from the comfort of your home (or office).
We have planned a HUB Corporate Workshop on how to create and capture value from partnership on 13 September. The topic of partnership will feature extensively in the upcoming period as we will develop a larger multi-partner research project on this theme, which has interest of many DIG partners.
18 October we have our next “The HUB samtale” with Alexander Hanening from Posten on “NFT, crypto currency, cloud /quantum computing.” But the large event we are currently working with is our Annual The HUB Summit with the theme “Eksterne Sjokk: Pandemi, Krig og Klima” 21 and 22 November. Put all these dates in your calendar!
Digital and physical overhauls
These are events full of high-quality content. But we are aware that we specifically struggle on one point: filling up all the available seats for such events. We do, however, actively work to build new routines and infrastructure that allow for a stronger and more efficient flow of information that helps us and our contact persons at the different DIG partners and HUB members to distribute this information to the right people.
One of these efforts is to overhaul our HUB homepage, where design and structure will emphasize dissemination of research and events in a more digestible manner. This overhaul occurs at the same time that NHH are starting renovation at the department and create a physical “The HUB” space, which we are anxious to show you in upcoming events.
New research initiatives
As I already mentioned, we have lots of research activities ongoing but as researchers we always develop new research initiatives. In the fall, we dedicate efforts to develop two multi-partner research project proposals.
One project will revolve on the topic of partnerships, Frank Elter from Telenor and Lasse B. Lien and Tina Saebi are taking the lead here.
Several partners have already expressed an interest, and if you are curious, the Corporate Workshop 13 September will be an appetizer on some of the issues that will be addressed in this project. Another project that has our interest revolves around trust and honesty on digital interfaces where Helge Thorbjørnsen and his team take the lead, and most likely will be central to the first The HUB Corporate Workshop in 2023.
So all-in-all, lots of activities where we at DIG and The HUB continue to create value with and for our partners and Norwegian industry and society.