BMW Foundation World Responsible Leaders - Prof. McKelvey selected
The BMW Foundation organized the 5th World Responsible Leaders Forum – 100 Innovations for Change – on 19-22 May in Munich. Over 500 participants from around the world attended, bringing together a diverse group of individuals, who are promoting responsible change in economic and social spheres.
(see more at http://www.bmw-stiftung.de/en/5th-world-responsible-leaders-forum/)
Maureen McKelvey, Professor at the Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg, was selected to attend, chosen an expert in innovation and representing academia. The World Responsible Leaders Forum included many tours and panels where individuals and organization reported their work. The areas were diverse as innovation hubs and makerspace, responsible corporations in Latin America called “B-corporation certification” and how the city of Munich works with refugees in the crisis.
Professor McKelvey particularly appreciated the visit to the European Patent Office (EPO), where their experts in information and communication technology discussed with a small group from the Forum. One topic was the relative advantages and disadvantages of open source and patents, for different types of software. Another topic was the digitalization of industry (known as Industry 4.0), with examples of self-driving (autonomous) cars and smart production machinery. The on-going trend of digitalization includes big data, analytics, and the internet of everything, and will profoundly affect society and the economy. The EPO faces challenges in this area because they do not grant software patents – but they can grant patents on information technology which is embedded in technology.
The BMW Group as well is committed to responsible industry. They have designed successful car-sharing schemes in Germany and also developed electrical cars. The next generation electrical car is the i8.