Wednesday evening was filled with ideas at the innovation lab ProtoMore on Molde campus. 25 of Molde University’s students stormed their brains.

By BENJAMIN MOEYERSONS (text & photo)

With the end of the semester getting closer and our minds getting duller, it was time to shake things up a bit! StartHIM, responsible for the organization of the evening, is the student organization at HiMolde that works towards innovation and start-up thinking for the entrepreneurial students amongst us. All the students from HiMolde were invited for an innovation night where you got the opportunity to get to know the innovation lab, get to know the equipment, and try it out.

Before setting off the evening filled with excitement and creativeness, there was pizza and drinks available to refuel the energy and tank some new creativity. Carl Christian Sole Semb was our host for the evening. With a background in mechanical engineering, he works day in and day out in our playground for the evening, the innovation lab of Protomore.

First we got acquainted with ProtoMore, what it stands for, the work they are involved in, the partners they have, and what we can do for each other in the future. One of the core principles they handle is to enable companies to think in an innovative and sustainable way, enabling them to react in a continuously changing corporate world. By providing workshops where they include both companies, students, researchers, and everybody who is interested, they try to shine some new light into companies trying to move forward.

With everybody eager to get their hands dirty and minds working, it was time to test out our creativity. After being divided into several groups, a boat building competition was explained and the groups was ready to set sail. Each group received 20 minutes to build a boat, only making use of the material which was available on the table. After the time period was over, every group got one chance to prove their nautical qualities and try to reach the finish line with their newly made boat.

Reflecting back on it, the students could experience the different approaches towards the target they opted for, enlightening once more the innovation model. It became clear that it is very important to emphasize and define the need before looking for a solution and building a prototype.

Something we can learn from in each and every situation, no matter which company you work for or what sector you work in.

Therefore, the evening was concluded with food for thought: fail fast, so you can succeed even faster!