Experience

Conceptual Thinking and Collaboration Matter!

We from icebauhaus have had the opportunity of applying our core competences of User Centered Design and network-driven bottom-up innovation to different urban and rural contexts through a series of projects and activities over the last years.

> africa re:load (since 2011-2013): Annual themed and self-organised networking event. Brought together participants from the private sector, research and development cooperation around current issues of cooperation between Germany and Africa.

> Concept – Test – Realisation (2011-2014): A three year long educational and research project in the field of affordable architecture, in cooperation with the Bauhaus University Weimar, EiABC Addis Ababa and Juba University through funding by the DAAD. Three model constructions in scale 1:1 were collaborative designed and constructed by students and teachers in Ethiopia, in collaboration with the private sector.

> Zero Award (2012): Coordination of an innovation competition in green-tech and design between Egypt, Ethiopia and Germany in cooperation with the GIZ, iceHubs and Bauhaus Universität Weimar: Project selection, co-creation workshops and award ceremony.

> icecairo eLearning (2013): Conception and implementation of a learning management system and prototypical blended learning formats for tech-hubs and maker spaces in Egypt.

> Prototyping Textiles in Architecture (2013): One week training for young architects in Cairo, as well as two weeks prototype workshop “Slides” in cooperation with the GIZ, the American University in Cairo and SEPIA- Institute for Textile Arts Halle / Saale.

> Green Skills Training (2013): Concept development for academically sound developments on the subjects of Urban Resilience, Zero Emission and Eco Sanitation in Egypt, networking of partners and field trips to Cairo.

> Runners’ App (2014): Novel prototypical smartphone app to support Ethiopian long distance runners and their coaches. Application of User Centered Design methods, in collaboration with an Ethiopian IT startup and with support of the Adi Dassler Foundation.

> ICT4Agriculture Desk Study (2014): “Analysis of ICT Support potentials for improved smallholder farm production in partner countries” for the GIZ. Overview of international actors, best and failed practices and development of needs and stakeholder potentials in selected partner countries.

> Usability Evaluation Framework (2015): Development of an evaluation concept for existing ICT applications in agriculture in cooperation with The Technical Centre for Agriculture and Rural Cooperation (CTA) and University of Applied Sciences Nuremberg.

> Innovation Factory – Realising Shared Ideas (2015-2017): Technical consultancy for GIZ Innovation Factory in the field ICT4Ag to build networks in selected partner countries and Germany, with the aim of identifying needs and developing applications.

> Step Up Media Lab / jHUB (2015): In 2015, icebauhaus had the opportunity of helping create a community oriented media centre in Juba, South Sudan with the support by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through its programme of “Support for Media, Access to Information and Freedom of Expression”.

> Let’s Go jHUB (2016): The project was an own innovation hub and training development initiative following up on the media development project ‘Step Up Juba Media Lab’ in 2015. In the process the teams developed the open source toolkit #ASKotek – an open technology emergency kit. #ASKotek takes advantage of local resources in supporting people in fragile post-conflict environments.

> Migration and digital media I (2016): Evaluation of existing services for migrants and concept visualisation for future service modules on behalf of the GIZ Program for Migration and Diaspora .

> Concept development: Smart Apiculture Management System (2017): As an outcome of our consultancy to the project “Realising Shared Solutions (2015-2017) we were part of the conceptual development of an EU-H2020 research project in the field of apiculture and honey production supported by digital media and sensor technologies.

> > Migration and digital media II (2017): The objective was to determine the specific needs and context of usage of potential users of future virtual services of s.c. DIMAK centres in seven partner countries and to make suggestions for the conceptual development of those virtual services on behalf of GIZ Program for Migration and Diaspora.

> East-African Media Lab Collaboration (2017): The EAMLab was a short-term in-residence program, allowing media professionals in East Africa to collaborate with colleagues from media centres in neighbouring countries. The program was funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

> South-South Media Lab Collaboration (2018): SSMLab 2018 was aimed to promote constructive and peaceful media work by introducing new formats of collaboration in the form of an in-residence program between East-Africa and South-East Asia. The program was funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

> Exposure seminar ICT in Agriculture (2018): Given the recent dynamic advances in ICT for agriculture, GIZ in Bavaria/ Germany organised a 10-days seminar to inform about and discuss the potential of the new technologies for the value chain, co-developed and facilitated by icebauhaus.

> Case Study: EthioCheck Lab by DW Academy (2019-2020): This case study shows the process of gaining insights into the “context of use” for fact-checkers and the main results of the ideation on fact-checking initiatives within the very diverse Ethiopian context.

> Innovation Factory – Digital impact for a better tomorrow (2018-2021): icebauhaus has continued the consultancy of the GIZ Innovation Factory. Due to new priorities and an adapted conceptual framework, we now focus on co-creation and the transfer of digital solutions and services within the inter-regional setting of the program.

> MOCI  Western Balkans (2020-2021):  is a regional network of community builders working collaboratively toward just and equal societies in which everyone can thrive towards the creation and the development of sustainable and resilient communities in the Balkans. icebauhaus became a strategic partner.

> MOCI  Caucasus (2021): MOCI Caucaus in 2021 is a hybrid capacity building and networking project via a community platform in the digital world and on a grass-root level in real life. Funding is provided by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany.

> Community of Practice in Ethiopia (2021): Process facilitation of establishing an e-learning Community of Practice (CoP) for Ethiopian GIZ Programmes with the objectives of better sharing experiences, identifying e-learning best practice and pooling resources between the programmes.

> MOCI Caucasus (2022):  The follow up of the MOCI project in 2022 focus on collaborative hands-on activities on the local level and sustain the network via capacity building measures, prototyping local solutions and via face-to-face peer exchange for creative drivers in the region. Funding is provided by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany.

> S.P.A.C.E (2022):  S.P.A.C.E is a short-term action by partners of the MOCI network to connect cultural initiatives in rural contexts in North-Albania, Central-Romania and East-Germany with support by the European Cultural Foundation (ECF)
and the Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb) in Germany.

> TOLOCAR (2022/2023):   The Tolocar project uses mobile makerspaces equipped with tools, open source hardware machines and consumables to support humanitarian activities in Ukraine. icebauhaus was commissioned by GIZ to consult the project management.

 

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For further information, please contact: tiemo.ehmke@icebauhaus.com