Challenge:Future :: IdeeaLab

IdeeaLab - from open collaboration platform to visualized e-CV

Do you know that, when reading this, there are at least 1,000 student competitions or open innovation challenges running all over the world, with at least 5 that would 100% fit to your ideas and competences but you will never hear about them? That there are many companies more than willing to pay for information from your last school paper but they will never find you? That each year there are several corporate student competitions with only three contestants? These selections of appropriate candidates for open positions are still depending on the candidates from local vicinity rather than on competences? And last, but definitively not least, that potential employers are still encountering CV as the first item to screen applicants among job seekers, allowing creative writing to dominate over your real experiences, achievements and ideas?

This challenge encourages semi-finalists to transform the proposal of youth open collaboration platform into a disruptive market-changing idea, linked to visualized e-CV (experience-based CV).

A while ago in his best-selling book, The Wisdom of Crowds . James Surowiecki had explored a deceptively simple idea that has profound implications - 'Large groups of people are smarter than an elite few, no matter how brilliant/better the elite are at solving problems, fostering innovation, coming to wise decisions, even predicting the future!

Inspired by open innovation and collaboration principles, IdeeaLab's goal is to create a huge global platform acting as a MARKETPLACE (matchmaker) between corporate, governmental, academic and non-profit crowd-sourcing and crowd-casting processes (competitions) on one side and youth on another one. It would enable youth (aged 15-35) to gain experience, personal promotion, career development, financial awards and networking at the same time when companies and organizations would gain fresh ideas, innovations and structured access to talent. Based on customized information, the youth would be able to collaborate globally and to present themselves to the best companies from around the world. Posting ideas, collaborating with others to solve challenges, winning competitions and providing valuable feedback will flourish their creativity, team spirit and collaborative abilities. The proven experiences and accomplishments would build students' real CVs and enable them to stand out of the crowd, to point out real competences when applying for scholarships, internships and job opportunities.

For businesses, IdeeaLab will not only allow access to a creative ideation and problem-solving community, to explore, develop and refine new product, service or visionary ideas, it will also enable them to select the best students to award them scholarships, internships and eventually job opportunities based on real achievements and experiences. The system will be open, allowing all real life or internet events of all companies/organizations to be reflected in student profiles and CV.

In this challenge semi-finalists are challenged to develop specific solutions for IdeeaLab that would assure leading competitive position.

In essence, here are the challenge questions we would like the teams to address: if you would be managing or developing this investment, how would you

(a) build loyal interactive community

(b) build and reach sustainable business model with creating as much value for all parties involved as possible

(c) assure further development, ahead of competition, also with potential integration of relevant idea that you have developed in the First Round of Challenge:Future competition

Teams are encouraged to select only one of these three perspectives to address, but there are no restrictions in selecting two or all three. As you are also the target customer of this platform, let's make the platform as you wish it to be. Solutions proposed by your team might significantly impact the further development of IdeeaLab and who knows, this can create a new job for you.

All semi-finalists will find more details, presentations, researches, guidelines, and resources in project rooms. Think out of the box - and good luck!

Third Millennium Knowledge is fostering human inspiration and encouraging development of new knowledge, to enhance innovative solutions without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The company is using Third Millennium Lab as incubator for new solutions based on research and knowledge developed by Third Millennium Knowledge. Since 2007 the Third Millennium Lab is developing Open Innovation, Open Collaboration and Talent Pool solutions.

Provoked by our mission we have initiated the creation of Challenge:Future in 2009. This global collaborative student competition where tomorrow’s leaders will be led into co-creation, career development, public recognition and participation in Youth Think Tank is our response to the present global economic, social and especially environmental situation. We strongly believe in youth creativity and its power to change and we are fully committed to development of this not-for-profit initiative.