Showrooms as a Window to Science Based Innovation

Scientific results benefit from more tangible stakeholder communication. Showrooms are a tool to transform abstract scientific concepts into solution-oriented and less complex demonstrators. The basic idea of a showroom implies a smart expo and meeting place to demonstrate the latest technological developments in a comprehensive and interactive manner and to stimulate transfer of scientific results to practice. Presentation of new technologies can be an eye opener of what can already be done today. But it is just more than this as it can put discussion with interested stakeholders to a new level - allowing to think beyond this - paving the ground for innovation. This way a showroom stimulates very substantial discussion about future ideas with real involvement of industry and society. Involving the public via a showroom environment is also helpful for the diffusion of new ideas, leading to potential faster market take-up, when new solutions are put into reality. Furthermore the interaction with the public is a stimulus also for the scientist, raising a much better understanding about current and future needs.

Capability is understood as a measure of the ability of an entity (organization, person, system) to achieve its objectives in relation to its overall mission professional science communication is part of the capability of, e.g., a university. Innovation capability in this sense refers to the ability of a set of regional stakeholders from academia, political authorities, public administrations and industry to innovate in synergy for economic and societal development – showrooms are an important tool to achieve this.