There are many opportunities for business solutions to create positive impact on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and at the same time generate profit. This conviction stands behind the lab of tomorrow project which is implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). It enables companies from developing countries and Europe to develop innovative products and services that help implement the Agenda 2030 and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
The experts for sustainable business models, Prof. Dr. Henning Breuer (UXBerlin – Innovation Consulting) and Prof. Dr. Florian Lüdeke-Freund (ESCP) have co-authored the manual published by lab of tomorrow. The manual provides all information needed to conduct an innovation process designed to turn sustainability-oriented business opportunities in developing countries into profitable businesses.
The lab of tomorrow approach is a novel and effective way to engage the private sector in delivering lasting solutions to the SDGs. In lab of tomorrow processes, profitable and sustainable products and services are created which contribute to solving concrete challenges in developing and emerging countries. They are jointly developed and brought to market by local and European entrepreneurs supported by development cooperation, public sector, civil society and academia.
The lab of tomorrow manual has been developed for both project planners and project implementers. It enables stakeholders to conduct their own lab of tomorrow innovation process: it serves as a step-by-step guide on how development partners can identify promising challenges based on shared values and enable entrepreneurial actors to jointly develop SDG-oriented business models using the lab of tomorrow approach. Thus, local development challenges are matched with tailored business solutions.
ESCP Professor Dr. Florian Lüdeke-Freund who leads the Chair for Corporate Responsibility, Prof. Dr. Henning Breuer (UXBerlin – Innovation Consulting), and his assistant Kiril Ivanov (UXBerlin) are among the authors.
Find the newest version of the manual and the supporting toolkit with templates and examples on the lab of tomorrow website: https://www.lab-of-tomorrow.com/resources.
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