COGITHON

Innovation is the culmination of scientific research, but it is also essential for the survival and/or development of most companies and associations, and therefore of all human organizations. Innovation is also a very important driver of economic development in regions, where it is often linked to the circular economy or the social economy. 

Being able to participate in the design and implementation of innovative projects, and finding the financial and partnership resources to do so, are skills that are increasingly sought after in all employees, regardless of their status and role in their organization (in short, from workers to CEOs, including technicians, engineers, and even researchers!). It is as much about instilling a professional culture of innovation as it is about teaching the basic methodological and technical principles. This educational teaching is based on project-based learning and uses seminars (7 days a week, 24 hours a day) in a closed environment, cut off from the outside world to allow for better concentration. The pedagogical principle is to bring together several skills (in our case, those from four GE master's degree programs and two Energy master's degree programs) in the same space and time to work in groups on an environmental and local issue. Conferences, meetings, visits, reflection, and work will alternate to allow students to submit a written response and give an oral presentation at the end of the week. The best projects will be presented orally to a jury of professionals and defended by the students. 

Open to all GE majors in M2 (except the GeIBioTe track) in FI and APP and to the Master's in Energy.

With the exception of the Aquadura course, for which this EU takes place over the semester, Cogithon takes the form of a six-day seminar. The seminar begins with a theoretical component (on the first day) and then continues in the form of workshops in which students are organized into project teams. The teams compete to present a project as part of a call for tenders that changes each year and is developed in partnership with local stakeholders. The call for tenders is based on the work of the Aquadura course and their November presentations. 

- have completed the "project management" course; 

- Have at least some experience working in a team; 

- Proficiency in computer and internet tools (C2i certificate recommended); 

- be able to research and analyze documents in order to write a bibliographic summary; 

-be able to present results in written form following instructions (structured, clear, critical report with bibliographical references) and orally (structured, clear, understandable communication using a slide show or poster); 

- understand how a local authority works (its principles). 

This course unit involves a heavy workload. It requires collaboration skills, a good capacity for work and stamina, initiative, and creativity. 

Students must familiarize themselves with the documents prior to the start of the teaching unit (tools/methods for innovation, structuring research). 

The seminar takes place every year in January over a week from Sunday (check-in at accommodations, welcome by the teaching team, introduction to the seminar, and icebreaker games) to Friday or Saturday. The seminar then follows a series of sessions until the presentation of projects proposed by the competing teams on Friday afternoon in response to the call for projects. Return to campus on Friday evening or Saturday morning. 

- Project management; 

- Respond to a call for proposals in accordance with specifications; 

- Present a project orally and defend it; 

- Working in groups; 

- Identify the various research structures in France and understand their main operating principles (dependency links, funding, stakeholders); 

- Understand the different ways of promoting research; 

- Intellectual property; 

- Identify and recognize the various structures supporting innovation, integration, and the circular economy; 

- Identify which of your skills and ideas could prove innovative and/or be used to create new activities, and formalize them; 

- Quickly propose a realistic, innovative project for an identified structure, including proposals for partnerships and financing; 

- Be aware of innovation and the creation of innovative businesses