The Future of earth is at the stake. For centuries the sustainability of the planet was taken from granted. However, humanity is facing a tragical moment, due to the diffusion of pandemics and the coming of the global warming, the risk of extinction is increasing. Hence, there is the need to rethink the way we see the natural resources and ecosystems to find innovative solutions that could support the economic and social development without harming the natural environment. The xLab the Future of Earth will explore how organizations could promote new solutions and project which can activate virtuous circles for the development and restoration of natural ecosystems. Students will learn how to analysis the complexity of the natural environment, the connections between natural resources, animals, plants, and the necessity of integrating human actions within this already defined framework. In addition, students will learn how to measure the ecosystem benefits and how the value created from them could be captured and shared among local communities fostering the prosperity of the natural resources and the development of the territory.

During the course, students will acquire soft skills such as public speaking, teamwork, problem solving, leadership and hard skills such as analytical skills, project management and design thinking, fundamental skills for the development of projects in the workplace and in the final project of the MSc. The xLab will increase students awareness of the connection among the production of products and services and the diminishing of the global ecosystem resources, exploring how the lack of a natural equilibrium could damage the social structure and produce economic costs that are difficult even to imagine. Specifically, the learning outcomes will be: 1.Knowledge and understanding This course will provide advanced knowledge and analytical resources that allow students to understand the economic, financial and legal context to assess the value of natural ecosystems and the impact that innovative projects could promote. In addition, the course offers key theoretical tools such as the definition of a budget, the mapping of stakeholders and the definition of financial tools for manufacturing. 2.Ability to apply knowledge and understanding The course will teach students how to apply the tools learned in class to real projects. Therefore, participants will learn to develop, write and present an innovation project, and learn to measure its impact. At the end of the course, students will be able to carry out a project independently, starting from the definition of the problem to the presentation of the results. 3.Autonomy of judgement At the end of the course, students are expected to be able to analyze individually the main issues related to natural ecosystems, through the analysis of the collected data and interactions with stakeholders and partners. Throughout the course, students will learn to interact with experts, evaluating the information they receive to better support the decision-making process and the ability to develop independent projects. 4.Communication skills This course offers students the opportunity to acquire and understand the main terms and concepts to communicate ideas, proposals, analysis and critical reasoning. In addition, the course will provide students the necessary skills to communicate with experts and professionals of the preservation and development of natural ecosystems. 5.Ability to learn At the end of the course, students will have had the opportunity to work closely with professionals in the field, learning techniques and tools of the working place. In addition, students will acquire skills such as practical knowledge, how to present a project in front of a public and/or investors. This will certainly contribute to vocational training and thus facilitate entry into the workplace.

The course, along with other activities and workshops, aims to provide the necessary experiences and skills to enable students to foster collaboration in the field of digital innovation and sustainability and to address the responsibilities, activities and expectations of a future job. The laboratory focuses on the "challenge" launched by the partner company. Hence, students need to develop solutions through a co-design process, in collaboration with the same organization and external stakeholders, in order to launch projects and initiatives that respond to the real need illustrated by the partner company. The course will be divided into six blocks: The first phase, where all eight xLabs will participate, presents the eight laboratories, their characteristics, and points in common. In the first phase, partner companies will participate illustrating their structure and characteristics and, through inspirational speeches motivate students. In addition, in the initial phase, students will begin to familiarize with the main theoretical elements of the course (for example, design thinking) and the co-design tools that will be used. In the second part of the course, groups will be separated and will be introduced for the first time to interactive and collaborative lessons, in which they will be able to explore in detail the main economic, social and technological features and its main theoretical notions. In these sessions, students will interact with partner organizations to gain important insights from their experiences and analyze best cases. In the third part, the co-design work will begin, in which students will work in groups, together with experts from partner companies. To direct the work, the partner company, with the right to "challenge", will launch the project action field to the students. The purpose of these sessions is to activate a process of co-design for the creation of solutions through the recreation and remodeling of an innovative ecosystem. The first phase of co-design will focus on the problem’s analysis and the development of the design idea as response to the identified needs. In the fourth part students will have a cross-comparison exchange with all xLabs. This will allow them to expose their progress and receive feedback from other professors, students, and experts. These moments will also allow students to exercise their ability of public speaking and project synthesis design. In order to facilitate and structure the discussion, a well-defined discussion format will be developed, which follows the same methodologies applied for contests addressed to start-ups, with defined times, modes and grids of evaluation. In the fifth part, students will work on finalizing their ideas, also thanks to the feedback received in the previous session. The goal is to refine the proposal, with the support of data and scientific reports. In a second phase, the co-design path will specifically present the actors, the form of governance and the added value of the idea. At the end of this last co-planning session, the design idea will have to be transformed into a complete Proof of Concept that can be presented to possible sponsors and external partners. In the last session, the final projects will be presented to a "jury" that will assess their feasibility and social, economic and environmental impacts. This final session involves the involvement of several experts, sponsors, authorities, incubators, and representatives of the academy. Also, this session will follow the predefined schemes already tested in the intermediate session. The goal is to amplify the work done by the students and allow them to have visibility to continue the project even after the end of xLab.

The width of the topics and their practical implications makes it difficult to refer to a specific textbook. Reading materials, handouts, and slides, referring to a given lesson, are made available to students in advance.

The lessons take place with frontal classes, especially in the first phase, in which the main theories and methodologies are explained. In the second phase, students learn to apply these notions in a co-design path, in a participatory way during collaborative exercises. Based on this combination of practical and theoretical teaching approaches, students are able to develop design development skills by deepening their knowledge of the industry and innovative solutions. Then students are asked to actively participate in each session and apply what they have learned in class to the project in a concrete way.

Learning will be assessed through participation in class and contribution to working groups. It will also be considered the evolution of the student during the entire course within the learning process and acquisition of skills such as public speaking, teamwork, problem solving, adaptability, leadership, also project management skills will be an integral part of evaluation. Students will then be asked for an individual contribution to the written design that will be evaluated based on the quality and adherence to the work done in the classroom.

Yes