The Challenge Based Innovation A3 (CBI A3) is a program that aims to build a globally responsible, generation of design innovators who thrive in addressing complex, societal challenges using novel design methodologies that integrate domains of deep technology, future thinking, radical innovation and societal needs.
CBI A3 is addressed to students from universities across three continents who, throughout the program, are trained with the mindset and skills to be change makers, imagining a future that respects humans and ecological systems. Besides, they have to connect a specific Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) with some of the ATTRACT technologies.
This program is coordinated by Design Factory Melbourne at Swinburne University of Technology (Australia) in partnership with other Design Factories: inno.space at Hochschule Mannheim (Germany) and New York City Design Factory at Pace University (United States of America) and cover different disciplines like health sciences, design, engineering, computer science and arts.
Get to know more about the CBI A3 program through this interview with a teacher and a student that participated in the current round of this program:
Aaron Down
Course Director at Swinburne Design Factory Melbourne
Which university and courses are part of your consortium and what brings you all together?
CBI A3 is powered by the Design Factory Melbourne at the Swinburn University of Technology. It runs in partnership with other design factories in the global network, namely inno.space at Hochschule Mannheim in Germany and New York City Design Factory at Pace University in the United States. We are a passionate and diverse group of educators that see the power of creative and radical thinking to tackle the complex challenges of the future.
How do you think society will benefit from this project?
I think society will benefit from this initiative because it does combine human-centred design here in CBI A3 with these deep technologies. So, the innovations that are being developed will innately have a human focus or a people focus. And that will hopefully bring about meaningful change and impact on humans and the world that we live in.
How do you envision participating in this project will contribute to your personal and professional development?
I think for me, being part of this initiative has been incredibly eye-opening and incredibly motivating. It’s been wonderful to work with such passionate and creative individuals across a range of different disciplines with a similar goal to make, an impact on the world. So, we’ve been exposed to people with the mindset to think differently and people who are innately curious, so they’re doing things that haven’t been done and pushing the boundaries to develop these breakthrough technologies.
Dilara Kursun
Software engineering student at the University of Applied Sciences
How do you find working with the R&D&I projects?
Working with the ATTRACT technologies was a big learning opportunity for me, especially because of working with experts from Deep Tech, and I gained a deeper understanding of AI, mental health and technology, which will have a positive impact on people and my life.
How do you think society will benefit from this project?
Our project is called MINT, standing for Mental Health Intelligence, and it is supposed to improve mental health treatment by collecting data on the patient through retina scans or facial and speech recognition, thereby easing the treatment development for the patient. And we think that society will benefit from this project because it is widely accessible, affordable, and effective, and thereby provides a solution that closes the current gap in mental health services.
How do you envision participating in this project will contribute to your personal and professional development?
Personally, this project helped me develop my soft skills, like presenting in front of groups or working with interdisciplinary and international teams. And professionally, this was a big chance to work with complex systems to develop solutions for wider use cases and learn a lot more about cutting-edge technologies from CERN.
For more information
Visit the CBI A3 program site.
