About the Digital+Sustainable Innovation Lab at Católica-Lisbon

The Digital+Sustainable Innovation Lab  (DSIL), formerly Smart City Innovation Lab (SCIL),  is a multi-disciplinary research group at Católica Lisbon School of Business and Economics (Portugal). DSIL’s mission is to empower businesses to create wellbeing in urban areas via digital technologies, novel business models and sustainable values. The research of the group focuses on business models, entrepreneurial strategy, and digital innovation. DSIL consults companies on strategic issues related to business modelling and digitization. DSIL collaborates with 50+ companies across Europe and has ongoing research projects with leading universities around the world (e.g. MIT, St.Gallen, Manchester). The lab is lead partner in two European H2020 projects and hosts the online platform www.smartbusinessmodeler.com. DSIL was founded by René Bohnsack, PhD, Professor for Strategy and Innovation at Católica-Lisbon.

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Projects

OMEGA-X – Orchestrating an interoperable sovereign federated Multi-vector Energy data space built on open standards and ready for GAia-X

Large amounts of valuable data are available in energy systems but are often underused. Relying on European common standards, the EU-funded OMEGA-X project aims to implement an energy data space. This will include federated infrastructure, data marketplace and service marketplace, involving data sharing between different stakeholders and demonstrating its value for concrete energy use cases while guaranteeing scalability and interoperability with other data space initiatives.

OMEGA-X will develop an Energy Data Space that enables multiple actors sharing data and services while ensuring privacy, security and sovereignty. This will specifically address the current problem of low availability of data for innovative uses in the energy sector and beyond.

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The Integrated Smart GRID Cross-Functional Solutions for Optimized Synergetic Energy Distribution, Utilization Storage Technologies (inteGRIDy) aims to integrate cutting-edge technologies, solutions and mechanisms in a scalable cross-functional platform connecting energy networks with diverse stakeholders, facilitating optimal and dynamic operation of the Distribution Grid (DG), fostering the stability and coordination of distributed energy resources and enabling collaborative storage schemes within an increasing share of renewables.

inteGRIDy tackles the challenge of reducing greenhouse gas emissions as well as the need for synergy to speed up the development process, and thus market introduction of novel digital services in the energy industry.

The Consortium, which the Digital+Sustainable Innovation Lab is part of, comprises 30 partners. SCIL is responsible for the business modelling toolsets.

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Venturely

Venturely (previously Smart Business Modeler) is an award-winning business modeling and venture creation platform that is empowering anyone to develop their business ideas to the pitch-stage. Venturely has been built on state-of-the-art research about business modeling, entrepreneurship, and innovation, allowing the user to be innovative and to work within a team environment while considering the foundations of sound business modeling and venture creation.

Venturely was created due to the lack of methodological tools for digital transformation, sustainable, and smart city business model as well as of expert guidance through the business modeling process in the online domain.

Venturely is a project developed solely by the Digital+Sustainable Innovation Lab.

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The DTx Digital Transformation CoLab aims to address the new paradigms in products, services, and human machine interface and the consequent changes in industry and society, fostering collaborative research and technological development between multidisciplinary academic knowledge and a wide range of industrial competences. DTx projects will address digitalization in product design, systems development and manufacturing solutions, and will be selected according to the CoLab technological roadmaps and the partners challenges.

The DTx CoLab is a non-profit organization with 18 participating entities, including three universities and 13 companies. DSIL will mainly contribute with knowledge on Business Models applied to the prospective projects.

DIANA

DIANA – Digital Intelligent Assistant for Nursing Applications supports caregivers while improving the life and safety of the elderly and impaired by providing novel solutions for action and behavior recognition using AI-powered 3D sensors. It will provide assistance in numerous complex tasks such as monitoring the safety of patients 24/7, controlling walks at night, responding to alarms from existing sensors, supporting activities of daily living, monitoring health trends of patients, and visualizing this data. 

In addition, this project addresses specifically the toilet, where hardly any supporting technologies exist. The visit to a toilet is part of the daily routine and takes a high amount of nursing time. DIANA has the unique goal of increasing people’s autonomy and digitizing the help of nurses. This will have immediate positive consequences on job performance as well as raise the efficiency of an estimated 30%. The DIANA project builds on years of research by the consortium, which the Digital+Sustainable Innovation Lab is part of.

Publications

Article: Local niches and firm responses in sustainability transitions: The case of low emission vehicles in China

Article: Entrepreneurial orientation and its effect on sustainability decision tradeoffs: The case of sustainable fashion firms

Article: Value propositions for disruptive technologies: Reconfiguration tactics in the case of electric vehicles

Article: Business models for sustainable technologies: Exploring business model evolution in the case of electric vehicles

Article: Timing-based business models for flexibility creation in the electric power sector

Article: The institutional evolution process of the global solar industry: The role of public and private actors in creating institutional shifts

Article: Catching recurring waves: Low-emission vehicles, international policy developments and firm innovation strategies

Selected Partners

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Present and Former Lab Members

René Bohnsack, PhD
René Bohnsack, PhDDirector DSIL
René Bohnsack is Professor of Strategy and Innovation at Católica-Lisbon and International Faculty Fellow at MIT Sloan School of Management. He studies the diffusion of technologies as well as how business models can accelerate this process. Dr. Bohnsack has published his research in the best international innovation and management journals such as Research Policy, Journal of Business Venturing, Journal of Product Innovation Management, California Management Review or Technovation. Next to the academic accomplishments, René co-founded several start-ups.
Arash Rezazadeh, Ph.D
Arash Rezazadeh, Ph.DResearcher
Arash Rezazadeh is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Digital+Sustainable Innovation Lab at Católica Lisbon. Dr. Rezazadeh has a Ph.D. in Business Administration and Management from Universidade do Minho in Braga. Dr. Rezazadeh is currently researching new Business Models enabled by Digital Transformation Technologies, including blockchain, crypto tokens, digital assets, and NFTs. In the past, he was researching on new business models developed in the Portuguese Textile and Clothing Industry as well as on Connected Mobility Platforms for two-wheelers.
Cláudia Antunes Marante
Cláudia Antunes MaranteResearcher
Cláudia Antunes Marante is a Research Fellow at the Digital+Sustainable Innovation Lab at Católica Lisbon, she has a Master’s degree in Research on Business and Administration from Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Seville. She has some research experience and has been a visiting scholar at the University of Glasgow. Cláudia is currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program focused on International Strategy. She also has non-academic work experience, being her last position as a Data Analyst at Cisco Systems Portugal.
Fabian Jelitto
Fabian JelittoVisiting Bachelor Student
Fabian is an intern at the Digital+Sustainable innovation lab at Católica Lisbon. He is currently doing his bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering at the University of Applied Sciences in Hamburg. Fabian is contributing his knowledge in the field of Environmental Management to the startup “Susdee”, which was founded at DSIL. Fabian enjoys taking on new tasks and is always eager to get involved when it comes to sustainability.
Gabriel Andrade
Gabriel AndradeVisiting Bachelor Student
Gabriel Andrade was an intern at the Digital+Sustainable Innovation Lab at Católica Lisbon, where he worked with business strategy and innovation. He got his Bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Medicine at the University of São Paulo, Brazil
Christina Bidmon
Christina BidmonPostdoctoral Fellow
Christina M. Bidmon was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Digital+Sustainable Innovation Lab at Católica Lisbon. Her research was positioned at the interface between corporate strategy, sustainability, and digital innovation. Before joining DSIL, Christina was a Ph.D. Student at Aarhus School of Business and Social Sciences in Denmark. She studied International Business Administration and Management in Hamburg, Copenhagen, and Guadalajara. Christina has worked in management consulting and corporate strategy functions for companies in Germany, the US, and Chile.
Mariana Morais Sarmento
Mariana Morais SarmentoResearch Fellow
Mariana Morais Sarmento was a Research Fellow at the Digital+Sustainable Innovation Lab at Católica Lisbon. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in International Management from Católica Lisbon School of Business and Economics. Her role in the Lab was dedicated to content development for business model innovation and smart city innovation projects. Mariana is passionate about the sustainable economic development of developing economies and she is deeply interested in social innovation as well as impact ventures.
Alina Margolina
Alina MargolinaProject Manager
Alina Margolina was a Project Manager at the Digital+Sustainable Innovation Lab at Católica Lisbon. She has a Master’s degree in Innovation and Product Management from the University of Applied Sciences-Upper Austria (Wels, Austria) and a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing Communications from the Higher School of Economics (Moscow, Russia). Her work in the Lab was dedicated to business model development for sustainability and the energy sector. In addition, she was interested in such fields as management of the fuzzy front end of innovation, customer co-creation and open innovation. Alina also has international experience in the fields of strategic foresight, product marketing management and marketing communications.
Tiago Antunes
Tiago AntunesSoftware Developer
Tiago Antunes was a Software Developer at the Digital+Sustainable Innovation Lab at Católica Lisbon. Tiago has a Master’s Degree in Information Systems and Computer Engineering from Instituto Superior Técnico – Lisbon, with a major specialisation in Software Engineering and minor specialisation in Enterprise Information Systems. He is skilled in web & mobile applications, and serious games development. He has been working mainly as a freelancer, collaborating with companies and organizations from different countries, in several areas of software engineering. In the Lab, Tiago was responsible for the analysis, design, and implementation of the applications that support DSIL projects on sustainability and the energy sector.
Maria del Mar Martinez-Bravo
Maria del Mar Martinez-BravoVisiting PhD Student
Maria was a visiting PhD student at the Digital+Sustainable Innovation Lab at Católica Lisbon coming from the University of Almería in Spain. She holds a Master’s Degree in International Business and Administration and Languages from that Spanish University and a double Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Granada in Spain and from the École Nationale d’Ingénieurs de Saint-Étienne in France. She has practical experience in engineering project management, public works and international relationships. She has always aimed to link her technical skills with her knowledge in management and she carries out her PhD research on Sustainable Cities Management.
Melissa Gutberlet
Melissa GutberletResearch Fellow
Melissa was a Research Fellow at the Digital+Sustainable Innovation Lab at Católica Lisbon. She holds a Master’s Degree in International Management from the University of Amsterdam and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Economics from the Goethe-University Frankfurt. Throughout her studies she also spent time at the Toulouse School of Economics as well as the University of New South Wales in Sydney. In addition, she has gained practical experience in finance, international strategy and business development. Her research interests focus on sustainable business models and environmental management.
Mariana Nunes
Mariana NunesResearch Fellow
Mariana Nunes was a Católica Lisbon student of the Master’s in Management with Specialisation in Strategy and Entrepreneurship. Her work in the lab was dedicated to a research project on Business Models & Smart Cities. Mariana is passionate about (sustainable) business model innovation and gaining insights from data. She is eager for new realities and challenges.
Henriette Näger
Henriette NägerResearch Fellow
Henriette Närger was a Research Fellow at the Digital+Sustainable Innovation Lab at Católica Lisbon. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from LMU Munich. Throughout her studies she specialized in “Technology & Innovation” and was involved in social entrepreneurship research projects and digital business modelling. Overall, she is fascinated by technologies that enable social and/or sustainable innovations.

Resources

We want to share our knowledge with you and therefore make case studies, worksheets and reports available.

Learn more about our resources here!

Services

We consult companies, start-ups and organizations, offer workshops as well as business model design with the Smart Business Modeler in the areas

  • Business Modeling,
  • Digital Transformation,
  • Smart Cities.

Learn more here!

Contact

We are looking forward to hearing from you!

Digital+Sustainable Innovation Lab
Católica Lisbon School of Business & Economics
Palma de Cima, Travessa de Cima dos Quartéis, 1649-023 Lisboa

info@smartcityinnovationlab.com