From North to South, Silicon Valley stretches over a distance comparable to the drive from Arendal to Kristiansand. Since the mid 1950´s or early 1960´s, SV has been a hub for technological innovation on a world scale, with its own unique history: Satellite communications, the transistor, networked computers, the laptop, the mobile smartphone, solar energy, driverless cars, space explorations, and more. How long it will remain a hyped up world hub for entrepreneurs (with “its own” sit-com) is anybody´s guess, but not one argues with the current and future impact of companies like Sun Microsystems, Cisco, Apple, Google, Tesla, Oracle, Facebook, and a wide range of others.

Still, it´s not these giant tech companies that defines Silicon Valley, as much as the underbrush of all the small companies that you could feed on a single pizza for each one. The density of entrepreneurial innovators, the networks of small companies, mom and dad shops close to the schools, wealthy investors potential, innovation incubators, and the driving force of the tech giants, shape a unique environment that cannot be copied.

But it can be learned from: In the midst of it, a university that increasingly play a role as a global reference for anyone interested in the scholarship and practical insight of entrepreneurship and innovation: Stanford University. Set in a region with many other prime universities and colleges (as for instance UC Berkeley an hour´s drive away), Stanford University has been home  to more than a few of Silicon Valley´s current companies, entrepreneurs, and investors.

So what is the role of a university in this kind of heightened innovation eco system? That is one key question we will address in the January 15th workshop, where attendees will meet with key staff at Stanford to discuss this and other issues.

Future Learning Lab hosts this workshop on the invitation of Open Innovation Lab of Norway, as part of our preparation for the 2018 World Learning Summit, in Kristiansand Norway — where some of the January 15th Stanford staff will be present.

Future Learning Lab started out as a research and innovations center at the University of Agder, in 2010. Since then, we have hosted many conferences and quite a few workshops — several at Stanford University. Initially founded by professors Oddgeir Tveiten and Frank Reichert (now president of University of Agder), professor Tveiten now heads the center and its promising relation to Open Innovation Lab of Norway, in Oslo. Co-leader of Future Learning Lab, Donna Kidwell, from Austin, Texas, joins us together with AI-specialist Paco Nathan. Long-time Future Learning Lab member and a returning speaker at our World Learning Summits, Eilif Trondsen, is a natural part of the program. Dr. Eilif Trondsen has keynoted twice at the World Learning Summit, and since then joined the research team as well as headed up some of our most interesting innovations workshops at our annual meetings in South Norway.

Stanford University´s HStar Director Keith Devlin and professor Michael Shanks, associated with Stanfords dSchool, will be co-hosting the workshop and the following dinner. Attendees can find the complete program on this link. January 15th 2018 Open Innovation Lab — Future Learning Lab — Stanford University Workshop.

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