I've been asked to chair the first event for Warwick University's Exciting Minds programme next month - and I can't wait to see what comes out of this highly intriguing event.
The premise is simple: put Warwick's finest academic brains together with business innovators, light the blue touchpaper, stand back, and see what happens.
It's certainly not a symposium, or a series of presentations of dusty research papers: what's really interesting is the way the programe seeks to use online and real social interaction to stimulate collaboration between the two worlds. The event is deliberately constructed to blur the boundaries between the two by emphasising that it's about a bunch of individuals getting to know each other and to kick some ideas around in quite an informal way.
I also love the openness of the approach - which is taking a real leaf out of the social media book of etiquette (if such a thing existed of course). By that, I mean the message the event seems to be putting across is "look, we don't really know what's going to come out of this, but we're sure that by allowing a free flow of ideas, we'll find some new ways to work together, and perhaps some specific ideas too."
The academic areas already lined up share their stuff with the business bods include Real Virtuality and Neuromarketing. Have a look and join the debate.
I can hardly wait.
This Post's recommended Pink Floyd track is Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun
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