THE BLUEFINGER INNOVATION CENTER

You will find the Bluefinger Innovation Center (BIC) in the heart of the historic center of the innovative Hanze-city Zwolle. The BIC supports organisations in the North and East of the Netherlands in their effort to innovate, by mobilizing the creative and innovative power of their own staff. The BIC co-operates with local innovators and institutes. 

The City of Zwolle
Zwolle is one of a few larger cities in North-Eastern Netherlands.
The city was founded around 800 CE by Frisian merchants and Charlemagne's troops.
In 1230 it was granted it's city rights. Zwolle became a member of the Hanseatic league in 1294, The municipality  counts about 130.000 inhabitants.
Zwolle functions as the entrance gate to North-eastern Netherlands.

The Bluefinger Anecdote
The name Bluefinger derives from the medieval rivalry between the Hanseatic cities of Zwolle and Kampen, when Zwolle had sold its city bells to Kampen's inhabitants. Once installed they seemed to jangle. This is why Kampen decided to make their due payment in small coins. The members of Zwolle's City Council got blue fingers from counting coins. 
Today Blauwvinger is the nickname for the inhabitants of Zwolle.

When using the word Innovation, we generally think of developments using the latest technological findings, for instance the application of 3-D printing in industrial environments. This type of developments generates from 'technology push'.
But Innovation also can be generated from 'demand pull'. For instance, the development of the Covid 19 vaccine.
The focus of the Bluefinger Innovation Center, however, is a very special one: the development of human innovation power.


With a unique toolset, the BIC is able to indentify, and support the strengthening of human innovation power.

Because of our roots, our Innovation Center  combines the innovation culture of two leading countries in innovation, Sweden and the Netherlands.


 

On the subpage Innovation is a team process and everyone can contribute we elaborate on our mission, developing and strengthening human innovation power and helping our clients to bring about a more innovative organisational climate.
And in Wicked Problems and the Creative Synthesis we discuss why is it so difficult to get innovations off the ground and how we can help organisations to mobilise for innovation and discover creative solutions.
In The location of the BIC we tell about our considerations that lead to establishing the Bluefinger Innovation Center in the heart of a city center.

And in The Bluefinger Imagination Center and Incubation Center we talk about our intentions for the future.