iQnovus, Quest Group Innovation Center

iQnovus, Quest Group Innovation Center, powered by Uni Systems, has been created to cultivate synergies and develop complementary relationships between businesses, academic institutions and start-ups. The center’s mission is to build an open innovation structure and ecosystem, while bridging innovation to market via collaboration between industry, government, labs, and academia.

Its objectives include:

• Guide, enable and accelerate innovation and R&D across Quest Group companies

• Establish an innovation-oriented culture

• Focus on well-defined innovation policies and practices to show higher long-term growth

in revenue, profits and value

• Introduce frameworks, tools, processes, and metrics to manage innovation

iQnovus is actively reviewing funding opportunities (EU, regional, national), and is responsible for the establishment of partnerships with academic and research organizations, SMEs and Startups. Preparation and submission of proposals (concept notes, proposal development, admin, monitoring of submissions), is also among its responsibilities.

 

Ecosystem Development

 

The creation of an open innovation ecosystem is key to help us:

·        Monitor technology trends

·        Facilitate knowledge transfer

·        Attract talent

·        Develop innovative products & services

·        Use innovation management tools and methods

·        Compete for investments and EU funding

 

 Toward that, iQnovus is developing six key focus areas:

 

Smart energy (Buildings, Hydrogen projects, EV, etc.)

Aiming to reveal the bigger picture and introduce disruptive innovations in the power sector, iQnovus evaluates new market entrants and new business models in an ecosystem that is definitely converging if not colliding, spanning across industries and blending Internet of Things (IoT), microgrids, renewable power, autonomous electric vehicles, energy management, battery storage, hydrogen power plants as some amongst other technologies.

Its task is to make it easier for companies to implement new business models, and the underlying technology is inviting not only start-ups but also established players from adjacent industries to enter the power sector.

Drones, Micro mobility, last mile

iQnovus embraces emerging technologies and their importance for sustainable and faster deliveries. An open ecosystem experiments with Drones and robots in identifying new, viable, and more sustainable use cases. By using concept pilots, we understand how drones may be better suited for deliveries to outer suburban, rural and island communities, and how autonomous delivery robots may better suited to travel along footpaths to optimise the last mile delivery task. Testing ideas to promote last mile deliveries by micro-mobility through a culture of innovation can ramp up adoption.

 IOT /smart City

City can be an open, connected interoperable ecosystem with a high level of interactivity that manifests itself in different ways.

iQnovus leverages digital technologies, internet of things, interconnected devices, and any “thing” that can be designed to produce data, of any sort, and can be connected to all other “things” to create and share information along with artificial intelligence that empower smart, sustainable cities.

Smart Buildings (Smart Energy, Energy communities, AI, Asset Management)

iQnovus is exploring ways to carve out the more lucrative elements of the value chain by exploiting digital technologies and the new ‘sharing’ business models.

The widespread availability of “smart” devices has created room for new business models to emerge in the Facilities and Energy sectors. The increase in digitalization and smart metering has enabled the collection and analysis of large datasets that in turn enable automation. All of these provide the basis for the development of new facility- and energy-related services. Key stake holders are exploring new avenues to optimise their energy consumption and better manage their facilities in more sustainable ways.

Blockchain applications

Blockchain-based technologies are used as a revolutionising technology that implies a radical change in the way of doing and conceiving transactions in the digital realm.

Blockchain changes the way data is stored, distributed and even generated. It unveils new and emerging opportunities for organizations in all sectors to create and deliver compelling services for themselves and their customers.

Center of Excellence AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is used as a wide-ranging tool to enable organizations to rethink how they integrate information, analyse data and use the resulting insights to improve decision making, transform and reshape the way that companies operate.

The Center of Excellence AI is a cornerstone in iQnovus ecosystem that aims to enable AI-first organizations.

Becoming an AI-first organization is crucial to long-term success. Organizations with this goal should invest in the AI Centre of Excellence (CoE).