How to scale up OSCE approaches?

Hi Andy here, I have worked Closely with Gien at Stop Reset Go over the last couple of years and am also core member at a collective here in Perth Australia called enkel (we have run events for both OSCEdays).

I’m interested in how we can help scale-up the OSCE rather than a specific project per se, apologies if the following seems a little disjointed.

Early this year I wrote the attached assignment for the Innovation and Enterprise module of my CE MBA at Bradford Uni. In it i drew up the following potential road map for the development of OSCE from an innovation perspective. The text below (in bold) explains the 3 innovation levels I envisaged. I think the 3rd “innovation systems” is where particular focus and wider debate needs to be given from an individual and connected city perspective.

3 interdependent theoretical levels of innovation have been identified progressing and evolving through 3 hypothetical phases as the concept scales. As shown in figure 3 these levels include:

1. System/systemic innovation. Overarching OSCE—commons—concept where the intention is to reshape the complete economic system through an “interconnected set of innovations, where each influences the other with innovation both in the parts of the system and in the ways in which they interconnect” (Mulgan and Leadbeater 2013 p.4).

2. Multiple innovation. More technologically driven “set” of product and services innovations, which depending on the contextual factors may include: Zero-based design, Base of the pyramid, Reverse and other more predominantly “need pull” focused innovations.

3. Innovation systems. OSCEdays initiatives and any future collaborative platforms and tools. This aligns with innovation systems theory as there has been a clear focus on the creation, dissemination, and utilization of knowledge (Carlsson et al 2002).

Looking at the ideas of platforms and tools i see the need for physical OSCE (in reality they go beyond just this) type hubs/spaces/innovation/education/resource centres (places to develop, test, and showcase new technologies, ways of working and living that catalyses wider change in cities) .I know this is starting to happen in parts of Europe and around the globe, tying into the fablab movement ets,we are creating our own space here http://www.enkelnavalstore.com/. As well as this an online collaboration platform and tools that act to link people and ideas up is also needed. Stop reset go has spent a long time looking into this, including how to allow people to make a living in the OS domain of physical products, as Gien has no doubt informed many of you, so i won’t discuss too much here. The question is how can we take OSCE to the next level, get funding, start developing these innovation system requirements to help people develop, create and be the physical change? The fact that the OSCEdays is a content partner for the DIF shows there is real interest in this from the EMF, I think many of them there now fully understand the CE must go further than smart materials and energy flows …can OSCEdays leverage these contacts further if they are not doing so already.

What the EMF has done to promote the CE so quickly is very impressive, as you know many of the ideas have been around for a while. I also looked into their approach from the whole marketing perspective for another assignment (also attached)…I really think there are lessons there for us all to learn from. Here at enkel we are taking insights from this approach. OSCEdays could get to the next level with some help from a partner like them…not sure it would polarize their CE100 ventures or OSCE…but i think there is a growing realization from all that a hybrid is needed, people need to make a living.

One idea we have had at enkel, due to limited local support–most people just don’t get where we are coming from yet even though the local council are behind us–is to look to get international support and funding from foundations and/or philanthropist and run almost a bit of a pilot project to see what could be done in spaces such as these across the world. Thinking about this, it would be good to have say 5 running at the same time in various countries/continents across the world that work together on real projects from an OSCE perspective. academics could be involved, documentaries could be made, technologies developed, possibilities abound.

sorry this post is a little long now so I will wrap it up. Any input, ideas, comments?Innovation and Enterprise OSCEdays -Andy Thomson.pdf (2.0 MB)
EMF scale up - Marketing- Andrew Thomson.pdf (1.6 MB)

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Hi @andythomson2000 thanks so much and yes the Enkel events are super! It’s great you’ve been thinking about OSCEdays like this. It’s exactly what we need to do at this stage.

I totally agree that some parallel (funded) living labs or workshops could be superb. What that looks like needs some thought. It would be great if you were interested to be involved in these discussions some more too.

I think the ‘Perceptual Map’ in your report is interesting to communicate the ‘scalability’ issue.

Will look at it in more detail and @Lars2i and I will meet next week in Berlin and talk about this some more too.

Have you also looked at the Reinventing OSCEdays thread?

Hi @sharmarval

I saw the Reinventing OSCEdays thread a while back and have just seen the other comments. Many of the frustration seem to be very similar to those many of use experience with the other projects we are involved in.

Money and resources being the big one…hence all of us needing to think outside the box to find ways to fund these new types of ventures. @Gien has developed a Global ecoshop idea that might be a good platform to aim to develop in partnership with the OSCE brand?

I see OSCE as the OS (commons focused) equivalent/partner to the EMF…I will speak to some of the key enkel members again and if you can speak to @Lars2i then maybe we can share some notes over a Skype chat sometime and work from there?

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@andythomson2000 maybe it makes sense to join the next @BoST call on Monday 12th…or one after that if that’s not convenient. Not sure what time would be best for you though given our locations.

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