SEPICA LABS

SOCIAL INNOVATION LABS IN UNIVERSITIES
addressing Social and Environmental Problems of Industries and Communities, through Academics

BACKGROUND:

Air pollution in India is a serious environmental issue. Of the 30 most polluted cities in the world, 21 were in India in 2019. 51% of the pollution is caused by industrial pollution, 27% by vehicles, 17% by crop burning and 5% by other sources. Air pollution contributes to the premature deaths of 2 million Indians every year. [Source: Wikipedia]

Universities all over the world prepare future employees for the Industry. In doing so, they groom their students completely for the technical and commercial side of the Corporate and Industrial world, teaching them various skills required for better placement and packages. Even Corporate houses conducting seminars in Universities, always portray only their technical and commercial achievements. But every Industrial setup, wherever it is located, has some social problems with the community and the lots of environment issues around it. But they never share those issues and problems with the Universities and/or their students.

The other aspect of this problem is, that University students get all theoretical knowledge and learning, but do not get enough opportunities to test/apply their knowledge anywhere on the ground, during their study. Internships with Corporate houses give them very limited exposure of a fraction of their work. After graduating, students join different industries without any experience, and the industry has to spend considerable time and energy, to make the students translate their theory into practice. After joining the Corporate world, the new recruits are not allowed to experiment their knowledge, but have to follow the instructions of their superiors. 

The students after recruitment in the corporate houses, try to perform well on all their technical and commercial aspects, meeting all their targets and expectations, trying to grow fast in the hierarchy. But when they reach decision making levels, they are suddenly confronted with the social and environmental issues of the Corporate houses and Industries. Having no learning or grooming on those aspects, and with a hook-or-crook profit oriented approach, they take whimsical decisions, that further worsen the social and environmental issues around them. This has been going on since the onset of Industrial Revolution.

Isn’t it the responsibility of the Universities / Institutes

To groom and prepare their students on all aspects (technical, commercial, social, environmental), for serving the Corporate world and the Society? 

Will it not be good for Industries to get students with experience who are sensitive towards society and environment too, and can act responsibly? The Corporate world would always welcome better and completely groomed students to serve them.

Addressing all the above problems and matching needs with resources, OASiS - A Social Innovations Lab has designed a model for Universities and Institutes worldwide, that would help them groom their students better for the corporate world and society, and make them socially and environmentally conscious and responsible.

Called SEPICA LAB, it engages students of the University with the Industry, and helps them create solutions for the Social and Environmental Problems of Industry and Community through Academics, and put them into Action.

How does a University / Institute sepica lab work?:

Formation:

• • University / Institute allocates an existing physical space within the campus for meeting and brainstorming.

  • Message about formation of University / Institute SEPICA LAB is floated among students and faculty.

  • University / Institute organises an Innovation Jam on one of the weekends to launch the SEPICA LAB.

  • Students register with the SEPICA LAB, mentioning their areas of interest and existing skills.

Research:

• • University/Institute identifies one or two industries as the focus for a year.

  • Interested students of the University/Institute come together to form the need assessment groups.

  • One group goes into the industry to find out their social and environmental problems.

  • One group goes into the community located around the industry, to find out their socio-economic problems.

  • Two groups fan out in the environment around the industry, to asses the environmental changes.

  • These groups bring the problems together on a table, and find out the relations between them.

  • This helps in identifying the ‘Trouble Spots’.

  • Each Trouble Spot then becomes a project with credits.

Design:

• • Each project is led by one professor, that adds up to his/her research work and appraisal.

  • One Member from each Research group (Industry, Community and Environment) is nominated by the group to form the Project Core Group with a term of 2 years.

  • The Project Lead Faculty and Project Core Group together create a framework for solution design and divide the modules between the Research Groups.

  • The Project Core Group Members help their own Research Groups to innovate Solutions for their modules.

  • The module solutions are stitched together by the Project Core Group and Lead Faculty, to form an integrated solution for the project.

  • The projects are proposed to the respective industry for their CSR funding, as the projects are expected to solve social and environmental problems of the industry itself.

Implementation:

• • The Projects are floated to all Students and Faculty of the University / Institute.

  • Students apply to the projects depending upon their interest and knowledge base.

  • The Project Research Groups interview and select students to enlarge their module implementation groups.

  • The solutions are then implemented by the project groups, financially supported by the industry.

Evaluation:

• • University / Institute forms an Expert Panel including Industry Representative, to assess each Research Group work and impact, and an overall assessment of the Project.

  • The Expert Panel assigns credits to each Research Group, and an overall credit to the Project.

  • The Research Group Credits get assigned to the Students of the particular Research Group.

  • The Overall Credit of the Project adds up to the SEPICA LAB performance.

  • The Project with overall credit gets added to the profile of the Lead Faculty.

Operation:

• • The Lead Faculty of all SEPICA LAB Projects form the Core Management Team of the SEPICA LAB.

  • The Core Management Team also creates SEPICA LAB Operations Team for logistics, accounting, etc with specific credit.

  • The Operation Team vacancies are also floated among the students.

  • Interested students join the Operation Team departments, and add the credit to their totals.

What do students get by Participating in their University's / Institute's SEPICA LAB?

• An opportunity, to understand the social and environmental of various Industries, needing attention and action. 

• Research the problems holistically using OASiS's 'Route to the Root' and 'Changing Lens' approaches.

• Develop simple, practical, sustainable and replicable Solutions using OASiS's 'ReDesign Thinking' approach, and refine them using 'Negative Brainstorming' approach.

• Learn to write funding proposals for Piloting the Solutions, to present to the Industry, asking for funding under their Corporate Social Responsibility.

• Divide tasks among themselves based on their existing skills, and learn to work collaboratively as a Team.

• Use the learning from the University, practically on the ground, while performing their tasks.

• Learn how to become more efficient and effective at work, team work and team building.

• Discuss their experiences with the Professors and enhance learning.

• Engage with Industry professionals and learn how to grow in an Industry.

• Equip themselves better for Industrial employment, by becoming more sensitive towards the community and environment, learning decision making, learning effective management of teams and resources, and gaining team work, team building and leadership skills. 

What do the Faculty get by Participating in their University's / Institute's SEPICA LAB?

• Exposure to the social and environmental aspects / issues / problems of various Industries and Communities. 

• Designing practical solutions for the real problems on ground.

• Interacting frequently with the Industries, linking theory with practice.

• Get a variety of live Case Studies to teach various subjects and topics to the students.

• Add the ongoing and completed Industry projects to their profile and Resumé.

What does the Industry get by helping the University / Institute start its SEPICA LAB?

• Practical solutions for their real problems on ground.

• Interact frequently with the Academicians, helping them understand ground realities.

• Get students well groomed on all aspects of the Industry, as employees.

• Reduce induction and training expenses on fresh employees.

• Use their CSR more effectively, helping the Industry overcome its own problems and issues.

• Project themselves as best-place-to-work organisations, responsible towards society and environment.

REPLICATION AND PUBLICATION:

Replicated by McMaster University, Canada as the McMaster Social Innovation Lab.

SOCIAL INNOVATION LABS - a Tool for Social Integration

• by Singapore Management University's Lien Centre for Social Innovation Journal SOCIAL SPACE in 2014.

• Click here to read it ONLINE (Scroll down to pages 44-49).