The ONEPlanET project is making significant strides with the development of the Open Innovation Database, a growing repository of accessible, frugal, and impactful solutions applicable to and suitable for Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus transition challenges. This initiative aims to explore and evaluate innovations capable of addressing critical sustainability needs, especially in economically disadvantaged regions. By leveraging both software and hardware, the database is poised to become a valuable tool for sustainable development under the WEF nexus paradigm.
The development of the database involved thorough exploration and categorization of solutions from a range of sources and open repositories—including the EU Innovation Radar, Energypedia, UN agencies, and WIPO Green. The database emphasizes frugal innovation, with solutions carefully selected to be accessible, affordable, and scalable. This ensures that they meet the needs of communities with limited resources, in addition to being practical and applicable.
A major milestone has been the completion of the database structure, which includes guidelines for deploying each solution in resource-constrained environments, making the database a dynamic and valuable resource for communities and individuals. Currently, the Cyprus Institute project team has extensively reviewed, filtered, and added over 100 solutions covering a wide range of WEF challenges, each vetted for relevance and backed by reliable references from multiple open knowledge bases to ensure credibility of every entry.
In collaboration with Three O’Clock, the Cyprus Institute team is working to integrate and transform the database into the ONEPlanET Knowledge Hub as a “Solutions Database/Drawer,” making it a publicly accessible global resource for cost-effective and innovative solutions.
Additionally, a focus on “immaterial” innovation has been introduced, with the aim to collect innovative business models, financial tools, partnerships, and cultural assets that would help the WEF Nexus become mainstream, overcoming siloed and fragmented practices.