The many faces of innovation at the University of Iceland

Walks around the areas where innovation in the fishing industry has taken place; the launching of a new edX online course on friendship in collaboration with CCP Games; and speed date with start-up companies that originated at the University of Iceland is a sample of the programme during the University of Iceland's innovation week; 26 May - 2 June. The University's Science Park is, furthermore, at the centre of the festivities.

The Iceland innovation week is a new festival and takes place all over Iceland. The aim of the festival is to increase the visibility of the innovation sector, give startups, entrepreneurs and companies a chance to showcase their innovative abilities, share knowledge with others and create new business opportunities. The festival consists of different events, both on-site and online, emphasizing the impact of innovation across all industries, and the University of Iceland is an active participant as it is a platform for diverse innovation, research, and development.

The opening ceremony of the Iceland Innovation week takes place in Gróska - Creative Community at the University of Iceland Science Park on Wednesday 26 May at 4 p.m. Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, the President of Iceland, and Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir Minister for Tourism, Industry and Innovation are among those who give a talk.

After the opening ceremony, at 5 p.m., the University of Iceland and CCP Games will launch a new international edX online course at a festive ceremony at the CCP headquarters in Gróska. The course is called "The friendship machine: Forming a new type of human connection" and explores the multifaceted impact of video games on our society. This course explores the powerful impact of video games, based on CCP's research into connections and friendships formed between players of the MMO game Eve Online and University of Iceland's long-lasting studies on the health and well-being of young people. The course deals with both and is open to all interested all over the world and participants can take it that their own pace. 

The event will be held in English and it will be livestreamed.

The following day, Thursday 27 May at noon, is the "Speed date with the startups of the University of Iceland."During the date representatives from the startups Akthelia Pharmaceuticals, Atmonia, Grein Research and Oculis, all founded on the bases of University of Iceland research working towards new solutions on a global scale, briefly discuss the challenges in their work and their vision for the future. 

The event will be livestreamed

On Friday 28 May between 2 and 4 p.m. is the Snjallræði Demo Day but the University of Iceland is among its supporters. The Demo Day on the final day provides a unique opportunity to learn about the eight outstanding projects chosen for participation in Snjallræði and the people behind them. The event takes place in Gróska and participants can sign up or watch the livestream.

On Saturday 29 May at 11 a.m. the University of Iceland and the Iceland Touring Association offer a walk around the locality of innovation in the fishing industry led by Sigurjón Arason, professor emeritus at the University of Iceland's Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition and chief engineer at MATÍS. The rendez-vous is at Kaffivagninn in Grandi and the walk then takes participants around the docks where fish processing has mostly taken place in Reykjavík and where the fishing companies have resided, and now diverse start-ups and service businesses have their offices. Sigurjón has, during his long career, worked with numerous fishing companies and on diverse innovative projects.

Further information on the walk (in Icelandic) can be found on the University of Iceland's website. 

The University of Iceland closes the Innovation week by handing out the Science and Innovation Award on Wednesday 2 June at 12 in the Main Building's Aula. A record number of proposals was submitted to the competition this year, or 50, and the prizes will be awarded for the best idea in four categories. Health and well-being; Technology and progress; Society; and Motivation. The winner in the competition, is selected from the winner in one of the above-mentioned categories. Students from the University of Iceland and Reykjavík University will, furthermore, talk about their project that received the Innovation Prize from the President of Iceland at the beginning of the year.

The award ceremony will be livestreamed.

The Innovation programme can be found on the University website.