Pitch Perfect

UZH News — 22 March 2023

On the move between science and business: Clarence Dale Pajarillaga, Vera Hampel, Florence Bernays und Lauren Howe (Image: Dan Cermak).

This UZH News article features the UZH CLFW Silicon Valley for People course, which took place in the 2021 Fall Semester. The course, lead by Pr. Dr. Lauren Howe, aimed to using insights from global tech hubs to build a human-centered innovation ecosystem. The course invited Masters and PhD students to shape the Future of Work by challenging them to design a people innovation ecosystem for Zurich. In just two weeks in September 2021, guided by their instructors, inspired by guest speakers, and coached by their mentors, students designed and brought to life thought-provoking ideas for how to build a vibrant people innovation ecosystem. “In the world of work today, it’s very common for mixed teams to develop and present ideas, either inside or outside their organizations. Our interdisciplinary teaching format is based on this very method,” says Pr. Dr. Lauren Howe.

The UZH News article also features the Future of Work Innovathon course, an open innovation programme that connects Masters and PhD students, researchers and organizations, to jointly solve real challenges related to digitalization. In the 2022 Fall Semester, Prof. Dr. Lauren Howe teamed up with the UZH Innovation Hub and the Digital Society Initiative to develop solutions for a future of work that puts people in focus.

Article by Melanie Keim; English translation by Caitlin Stephens.