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Length of New Bridge Determined by the Crowd

May-15-12 By IdeaConnection
If you wanted a new structure, monument or installation to liven up your town, village or city, would you be prepared to pay directly for it? A crowdfunding initiative in the city of Rotterdam in the Netherlands is giving citizens the opportunity to put their money where their mouths are to fund a pedestrian wooden bridge, the size of which will be dictated by the amount of money pledged.

Five Innovative Ways the Crowd Has Been Put to Good Use

May-14-12 By IdeaConnection
As practitioners of crowdsourcing and open innovation well know, turning to the crowd can lead to the creation of products and services faster and more effectively than if left in the hands of individuals.

Popular uses of the crowd include designing logos, solving technical problems and generating eco-friendly business ideas. But there really is no limit in what this global resource of innovators can be used for.

Here are five of the more unusual, but no less practical and valuable uses that the crowd has been put to:

$10 Million Major Crowdfunding Milestone

May-11-12 By IdeaConnection
The potential of crowdfunding to pull in the big dollars is currently no more evident than on Kickstarter, the crowdfunding website.

The Pebble Smartwatch project has smashed site records by raising more than $10 million, that’s three times more than the previous record-holder, and an incredible one hundred times more than the project’s original goal of raising $100,000.

The project was launched in late April and by the end of the first day had reached its target.

Discover How Global Companies are Using Open Innovation

May-09-12 By IdeaConnection
Want to know how open innovation is benefiting some of the biggest names in business as well as their plans for its future role? Pull up a chair and be ringside for The European Open Innovation Summit in Brussels, Belgium from May 23-24.

You’ll hear from some of OI’s most passionate cheerleaders such as GlaxoSmithKline, Philips, Lego and General Mills who have all reaped rewards from a more open way of innovating.

Crowdsource Last-Minute Groceries

May-07-12 By IdeaConnection
The talents, smarts, knowledge and expertise of members of the crowd can be tapped for an extraordinary range of uses. They can design new logos, come up with world beating innovations and solve seemingly intractable technological challenges. They can even buy groceries for you.

Yes, that’s right, in this caring, sharing open innovation world the crowd is being put to uses great and small.  In Italy a new online service has been launched, Milk Please! that lets users crowdsource help with their last-minute grocery items.

TechShop Gets Detroit’s Innovation Motor Running

May-06-12 By IdeaConnection
When it comes to inventing things, where would you be without a spanner, monkey wrench and a lathe?  TechShop, America’s first nationwide open access workshop provides its members with free use of a vast array of design and fabrication tools to build the things they've always wanted to.

And it has just teamed up with Ford Motor Company to open up a new DIY workshop in Detroit.

Tackling Open Innovation Challenges in Africa

May-02-12 By IdeaConnection
It promises to be one of the hottest tickets in open innovation, a chance for innovators to create and seize opportunities that will boost Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

When the Open Innovation Africa Summit rolls into Nairobi, Kenya at the end of this month thought leaders, policy makers and innovators from more than 25 countries are expected to be in attendance. They’ll be focusing their brainpower on how to harness the opportunities that lie ahead for the continent.

What a Performance! Opera by You Awards Announced

May-01-12 By IdeaConnection
It’s almost the home stretch; the two year Opera by You project will soon be entering the direction process, prior to its premiere in July.

Over 400 members from all over the world have taken part in this community opera project and the most active participants have just been awarded travel packages to the Savonlinna Opera Festival and world premiere of Free Will on 21st July 2012.

Open Innovation Masterclass with Henry Chesbrough

Apr-28-12 By IdeaConnection
The Climate-kic website has announced that applications are open for partners, corporate entrepreneurs and green technology start-ups to attend a 4-day Masterclass on Open innovation in Utrecht, May 21-24.

It’s being led by Henry Chesbrough and will demonstrate how collaboration can lead to new improved ventures faster than the current corporate or start-up environment.

Ten of the Best: Quotes about Creativity

Apr-26-12 By IdeaConnection
Creativity is the fuel that feeds innovation. Here are ten inspirational quotes about creativity to fire up your innovation burners.

Sometimes you've got to let everything go - purge yourself. If you are unhappy with anything . . . whatever is bringing you down, get rid of it. Because you'll find that when you're free, your true creativity, your true self comes out.
Tina Turner