GIG 10th Anniversary Event

Ten years ago, innovators and hub managers worldwide convened at re:publica for the first time at the Global Innovation Lounge. Today, GIG supports the work of its 155 members in 47 countries. GIG facilitates global exchange between innovators and innovation spaces and implements various projects. As the world becomes more complex and fast-paced, so do the challenges, threatening the most vulnerable and marginalized communities.

Therefore, GIG enables cross-cultural connections and global knowledge exchanges to support our members and their communities to develop solutions that best suit their local needs and to organise international support if needed. We co-create and implement long-term projects that offer collaborative solutions to systemic problems in different localities. For our 10th Global Innovation Gathering, we will bring together more than 30 global members from different parts of the world to share knowledge, learn and connect with our local Berlin-based members, partners and supporting organizations. Our open event celebrating ten years of the network took place on June 2nd, 2023, where some of our original founding GIG members presented their journey at GIG and how years of global collaborations have impacted their local communities. And the future..?

Watch the event!

This Event is hosted in cooperation with Heinrich-Böll-Foundation and is kindly made possible through support by Robert Bosch Foundation and GIZ’s #TOLOCAR project. The event also contributes to the Distributed Design Platform, funded by the European Union.

11:00 – 11:05
Welcome Address
Jan Philipp Albrecht, Heinrich Boell Foundation

11:05 – 11:15
Celebrating 10 Years of Global Innovation Gathering
Geraldine de Bastion, Sandra Mamitzsch, Ricardo Ruiz

Past – Present – Future: A welcome address by the Executive Board of the Global Innovation Gathering. Read more…

11:15 – 11:30  
GIG vs The World
Andrew Lamb

A brief look into linearity, complexity and the Global Innovation Gathering. Based on lessons I learned the hard way, this talk introduces some of the approaches and tools that helped me navigate the world when trying to create change, highlights the theoretical basis of why GIG is so important and the challenges it will face in the future—featuring a little bit of Lego.

11:30 – 12:30
My Hardware, my Choice!
Cory Doctorow (remote)
Martin Oloo, Max Voigt, Teresa Dillon

The right to repair has a massive impact on hardware sustainability and the creation of local value chains around hardware products. Globally, different movements around the right to repair are gaining traction, resulting in policy shifts, such as the newly published EU directive on the right to repair in the context of the new consumer protection agenda. The panel will discuss topics at the intersection of the right to repair and the need for open hardware and software in the context of the green transition, economic development and social justice. Learn more…

12:30 – 13:15
Collective Keynote: Local Innovation and Global Community
Kudzai Mbaiwa, Jay Fajardo, Georgia Nicolau (remote)

The members of the Global Innovation Gathering are amazing people doing groundbreaking work. Over the past ten years, GIG has grown into one of the most vibrant global networks connecting digital innovators and community builders worldwide. In this session, some of our members will share their reflections on their work, their communities’ digital development, and their connections with the Global Innovation Gathering.

13:15 – 14:00
Lunch

14:00 – 14:20
Distributed Manufacturing
Peter Troxler
Read More

14:20 – 15:00
Innovating Crisis Response
Susan Long, Emilio Veris, Sharlotte Ainebyoona Kigezo

This panel will present and discuss different ways innovation spaces, makers and open technology offer new innovative approaches to crisis response. Panellists will share their work experiences from Europe, the Middle East, South America and Africa and how they share and contribute to supporting communities dealing with war, migration, and the climate crisis through open technology and open culture.

15:00 – 15:40
From Makers to Ministers: Suggestions for Future Policy Dialogues
Linda Bonyo, Felipe Fonseca

This session will explore the role of currently underrepresented yet important actors in digital transformation and how they can be more effective in policy processes. What new strategies, structures and seats at the table need to be created to individuals, civil society organisations and new stakeholder groups such as social enterprises, commons-oriented digital initiatives and community innovation spaces to be able to partake and add their grassroots perspective to policy dialogues? What new areas of digital transformation deserve attention by policymakers and Ministers

15:40 – 15:55
Closing Keynote