At the end of the course, students should have a profound understanding of:
- the main developments within Bio-Inspired Research and Circular Economy and the implications such developments might have concerning their area of expertise and society.
- Bio-inspired research and design methods
At the end of the course, students should be able to:
- interpret the outcomes of its own research or design concerning the potential contribution it delivers to the creation of a sustainable circular economy and society.
- reflect on their role and actions as part of a researchand/or design process.
- to connect literature from different disciplines to a scientifically formulated problem. (multidisciplinarity)
- To communicate research and /or design results to a wider()non-scientific) audience in a comprehensible manner.
- to recognize its own role in a group process and, if needed, to adapt to changing circumstances
- to receive and give feedback.
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This course is an introductory and preparatory course that will run the whole year.
At the start of the course we’ll focus on what your competences and preferences are concerning learning, collaboration and interaction. This will help you to find the right minor project, to be executed in the 2nd year, and improve your collaboration skills.
You will learn and use several techniques that will support your efforts to evaluate, collaborate and communicate with co-students and organizations (government and/ or business) about the subject of Bio-inspired innovations for a circular economy. Examples are:
1. perform a LifeCycleAnalysis (LCA) and MFA
2. use causal loop diagramming to collaboratively built a qualitative system dynamics model
3. draw an actor network and make a value proposition
Contentwise these techniques will be complemented with literature and guest lectures on the following topics: Bioinspired and Biomimetic approaches, Sustainability, New Business Models, Circular Economy and Innovation.
Finally we will sequentially read “The Systems View of Life; a unifying Vision.” and discuss it. This should enable you to link different specializations within the field of Biology to your own interest, your academic background and Biomimetic/Bio-inspired knowledge.
Last assignment concerns groupwork. Different entrepreneurs & companies introduced more sustainable product and service propositions. Some of which looked very promising but never became successful. Armed with these tools and knowledge you will work in groups to analyse and ‘re-vive’ a ‘failed’ bio-inspired innovation, through a thorough analysis of the product and its market introduction.
So, what can we learn from failures and what can we advise with regard to a new valorization attempt? Do we see, with and without a biological ‘lens’, possibilities innovators or companies have overlooked?
That will be the final assignment to be completed in May-June.
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