The Flow Forward platform is developed within the European project: Connected River. Connected River is focused on enabling efficient experimentation with emerging digital techniques, new working methods and forms of collaboration, with a strong connection to society in waterway or waterfront regions.

Connected River

Due to increasing crowds, new challenges arise around water in urban areas all over Europe. Many (port)cities are faced with the task of finding innovative ways to ensure effective, safe and harmonious use of waterways / areas. Connected River helps to increase the innovative power of these European cities.

Connected River aims to increase the innovation capacities of local ecosystems. The focus is on safety, accessibility and quality of life around the water in urban areas. All kinds of users play a role in this; private, public and industrial stakeholders.

In 6 pilot areas, we are building ecosystems and innovative solutions to enable smart (port) cities. These innovation methods apply to a range of challenges surrounding area development and are not limited to port cities. Together with knowledge partners (Antwerp Management School, InnoValor Advies), the pilot areas will focus on the development and introduction of a usercentric and short-cycle innovation method: Flow Forward.

Connected River started in Januari of 2023 and runs untill 2027.  The aim is to find new ways to innovate, to respond to increasingly rapid and fast-changing enviroments. The focus of this project lays on digital and smart solutions with a multi-stakeholder ecosystem approach.

The results will be publicly available, you can follow the progress within this platform.

Flow Forward method

Within Connected RIver, the FLow Forward method will be jointly developed as a method to innovate. Flow Forward is a short cycle innovation approach where added value for (end) users is realized in collaboration with partners through experimentation and learning. This approach combines Design Thinking with elements of Lean Startup and Agile Design. A project starts with a problem in, on or around water. A challenge often arises because different people use the same water or area at the same time, but with a different goals. Think of recreational and commercial shipping. This busyness leads to new problems of safety, accessibility and quality of life, if not properly arranged.

Within Flow Forward, the focus is on these kinds of social themes and people are looking for digital or otherwise innovative solutions.

In the Flow Forward approach, it is important to involve users and stakeholders during the innovation process. This way you can ensure that a solution with value for all its customers is being developed. The solution is continuously tested in short experiments. Solutions are continuously recalibrated during experimentation. Does the solution work and is it feasible? It will be scaled up after the completion of the experimentation phases.

Flow Forward has three pillars:

• Experiments take place on the fringes of an organization, not in the everyday business so experiments are done quickly and are not overshadowed by the issues of the day-to-day;
• An experiment has a strong link with a social issue and has a strong social impact;
• The experiment has an important digital/innovative component.

Why is Flow Forward platform available for free?

The foundations for the Flow Forward platform were created in the research project Connected River, funded by the European Commission.