Data Driven Innovation Workshop Series | April-May 2026

How do you turn data and AI into meaningful, responsible innovation that creates value and trust?

Data Driven Innovation – From Ideas to Impact is a hands-on, three-part workshop series for students, researchers, university staff, startups, and practitioners who want to work towards concrete data-driven concepts.

Across three connected workshops, participants explore data-driven opportunities, business and ecosystem logic, and key questions around trust, ethics, and governance that are essential for real-world application. The series combines practical tools, applied cases, and peer exchange in a structured learning journey.

Participants may join with their own idea, research project, or startup case, or work with examples provided during the workshops. No prior technical background is required.

Who is this workshop series for?

·       Bachelor’s and Master’s students

·       PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers

·       University staff

·       Startup teams and external practitioners

This workshop series is for anyone interested in data-driven products, services, business models, or ecosystems, who wants to turn a research idea or business opportunity into a clearer value proposition or data-driven concept, make better innovation decisions based on evidence, and address trust, privacy, and governance questions early rather than as a late-stage add-on.

What you will gain

By the end of the series, participants will:

• Structure a data-driven opportunity grounded in a real problem or use case

• Understand how data creates value across products, services, and ecosystems

• Work with practical, reusable tools for research and innovation projects

• Strengthen their understanding of ethics, trust, governance, and regulation

• Leave with a clearer concept and potential next step

Workshop overview

Workshop 1 – Identifying Data Opportunities & Business Models (10.4.2026, 09:00 - 13:00):

Frame a data-driven opportunity by identifying relevant data sources, assumptions, and value logic, and explore how different business and ecosystem models shape data-driven innovation.

Workshop 2 – Creating Value for Customers and Partners with Data (24.1.4.26, 13:00 - 16:00):

Deepen your concept by analysing user, customer, and partner needs, working with personas and stakeholder insights, and refining a data-enabled value proposition.

Workshop 3 – Building Trusted Data Ecosystems & Responsible Innovation (8.5.2026, 09:00 - 13:00):

Explore data ecosystems, collaboration, data sharing, and governance models, and apply ethics and trust-by-design principles to strengthen the long-term viability of data-driven initiatives.

Contributors & speakers

The workshop series brings together a broad group of contributors and speakers from academia, healthcare, industry, startups, and public institutions. It is developed and delivered by the University of Basel Innovation Office, in collaboration with InVeVol as facilitation and methods partner.

Confirmed and contributing organisations include, among others:

University of Basel (Faculty of Law; Personalized Health Basel), University Hospital Basel, Novartis Foundation, Roche, OECD, Gaia-X Hub Switzerland, Virtuosis AI, Mindler, CGI, 1001Lakes, e-Health Innovation Center, and Stockholm University.

Contributors participate across different workshops, sharing real-world cases, domain expertise, and applied perspectives. Speaker line-ups may vary by session and will be confirmed closer to the event.

Dates

• Workshop 1: Friday, 10 April 2026, 09:00–13:00

• Workshop 2: Friday, 24 April 2026, 13:00–16:00

• Workshop 3: Friday, 8 May 2026, 09:00–13:00

Location: University of Basel Innovation Office, Kreuzstrasse 4, 4123 Allschwil

Format: Onsite (with selected speakers joining online)

Language: English

Certificate: Data Driven Innovation Certificate (full series)

Cost: Free of charge

Register here: Data Driven Innovation Workshop Series - Airtable

The workshops build on each other, and participants are encouraged to attend all three sessions. Places may be limited.

For questions about the workshop series, please contact: Saara Malkamäki (saara.malkamaeki@unibas.ch )