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Innovation focusing on the user

People, planet, profit

The first question for Ellen Moors, when trying to find innovative solutions in food, healthcare and materials, is always ‘What does the user want?’.

Ellen’s focus in the triangle of people, planet and profit is primarily on ‘people’. She researches broad-ranging issues of sustainability, what these mean to society and how they can be linked to innovation.

Sustainability is a dynamic concept

Things change, and what was considered sustainable some ten years ago may now be seen in quite a different light. ‘Framing’, or identifying what sustainability actually means, is work that has to be done by people.

In a sustainable agricultural project, for example, various stakeholders came together to discuss ways of producing eggs sustainably. These stakeholders, including the supermarket chain Albert Heijn, the animal welfare society, and the poultry farmer, got together to discuss their requirements and how they saw sustainability. These discussions resulted in their deciding to build a round chicken coop so that the chickens could be seen from their own perspective rather than looked down on from above.

Dealing with innovation

Ellen Moors is involved in various studies. One of her AIOs (research assistants) is trying to find out why there are still no alternatives to laboratory animals. “This is because the processes are inflexible and rigid. Even though more responsible alternatives may exist, people don’t know how to put them into practice.”

Cooperation

Another example is research into Alzheimer’s, where new early-diagnostic methods can predict a person’s chances of contracting the disease. “From an innovation perspective, you wonder how you are going to deal with these uncertainties. We are studying this question from the users’ perspective. That may be the patients, or their carers or relatives.”

She is conducting her research in close cooperation with other disciplines. In the Alzheimer’s study this means working with scientists on new diagnostic methods, as well as technology philosophers. They are helping to answer questions such as whether Alzheimer’s is actually a disease. Or is it an inherent element of ageing? Interdisciplinary cooperation plays an important role in these complex innovation processes.

Ellen Moors is Professor of Innovation & Sustainability