In our Atlas World community, we strive to showcase and highlight as many ethical, sustainable, and creative companies and projects as possible. In this context, we have previously engaged in interesting conversations with the directors of Vagheggi and Respray Solutions, discussing the possibilities of sustainability in the beauty industry. Additionally, we explored consciousness in the culinary field with the guidance of the director of the Heroes of Responsible Dining Foundation.
This time, we approached the concepts of creativity, innovation, and sustainability from another perspective. In an interview with Sándor Koszecz, the founder of the Kollabor project, we gained insight into a unique initiative that combines experiential pedagogy and social innovation. Sándor Koszecz, the dedicated founder of the project, shared detailed information about the foundation-supported Kollabor project, its challenges, achievements, and future during the interview.
The beginning and evolution of the Kollabor project
The Kollabor project started in 2017 as part of a European Union grant, originally focusing on establishing a natural science experience center. Through the grant, until 2020, they engaged over 6,500 students from educational institutions in Békés County in experiential pedagogical sessions. However, the challenges posed by Covid and quarantine situations made them realize that Kollabor is more than just a science center; it is also an innovation hub and a startup incubator. Consequently, after the grant phase, they continued their operations along these lines, with their flagship project, the Microgarden project, which serves as the perfect evidence for all these aspects.
Currently, the Kollabor project, as a foundation-supported initiative, is facing liquidation and will cease to exist in its current form. However, the founders are determined not to let the professional achievements go to waste and continue their hard work.
Economic, social, and pedagogical innovation space
Experiential learning and pedagogical innovation are crucial in experiential pedagogy, therefore all activities were built around this concept, while incorporating sustainability at every step. The goal was to stimulate the curiosity of students and, through that, activate motivational and inspirational layers. Looking at the bigger picture, when functioning as a startup incubator, Kollabor becomes an economic innovation space. When viewed as an innovative community space where creative ideas surface, it becomes a social innovation community space. Sándor mentioned that it’s a significant statement to say that the project serves as a social, economic, and pedagogical innovation space simultaneously, but in the activities of Kollabor, these three layers cannot be separated. Everything is built upon those; they are the core of everything.
Inverted business format
Sándor revealed some challenges during the project, such as the strict limitations of the grant system. He also highlighted the unique business format of the project, an inverted business structure. While every business aims to be the best in some professional field, a makerspace, like Kollabor, has a little bit of knowledge in every field horizontally. Sándor expressed it as, ‘We’re not experts in anything, but we’re pretty good at everything.’ This business form may not be logical, but it is necessary, as horizontal knowledge, the ability to connect seemingly unrelated things, is essential. Many innovations arise from this, even though it is not an easy business structure to build and develop.
Value creation in the future
In the interview, Sándor mentioned some important milestones of the project, highlighting the establishment of the space, the development of a unique pedagogical system, and the fact that even during the pandemic, they managed to further develop Kollabor, reaching the market phase of the Microgarden project.
Sándor also talked about his future plans, emphasizing the role of social innovation and value creation. While Kollabor will cease to exist in its current form, they will continue their work with the Microgarden project and the startup incubation program. Upon relaunch, they aim to create a social innovation space based on experiential pedagogy, seeking entrepreneurial partners, as they want this to be a shared cause.
It is fair to say that Kollabor is not just a project but a constantly evolving, innovative center that connects scientific experiences, creativity, and community collaboration. Sándor Koszecz and his team have taken outstanding steps in experiential pedagogy and social innovation and plan to continue doing so in the future as well.
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