Open Innovation

 

 

 

 

 EDHEC 
 OPEN INNOVATION 
 CHALLENGE 

A UNIQUE LEARNING MODEL IN COLLABORATION 

WITH STUDENTS AND MAJOR COMPANIES.

 

 

About the challenge:

 

Submit unresolved issues to our Master 1 students who will offer you innovative solutions tailored to your needs.

 

 

calendar  16 & 17 March 2027

 Lille Campus

 

Event starts in:

  •  days
  •  hours
  •  minutes
  •  seconds
20
Companies

650
Students

70
Managers

20
Coaches et Professors

3 REASONS TO GET INVOLVED

BOOST YOUR EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT

SOURCE YOU FUTURE TRAINEES ON SITE

BENEFIT FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF GENERATION Z

THE PITCH

1
CASE

of an unsolved challenge in your company

1
DAY

of competition in “living lab” mode on either the 16th or the 17th of March as per your preference

2
PROFESSIONALS

involved in the competition

6
TEAMS

from 5 to 6 students dedicated to your case

PLANNING

COMPANIES

1

NOVEMBER 2026

Online presentation briefing

2

NOVEMBER 2026

Manager/referent telephone exchange

3

END OF NOVEMBER 2026

Communication of company brief

4

MID-JANUARY 2027

Kick-off, first online exchange with your student groups

5

FEBRUARY 2027

Validation, second online exchange with your student groups

6

16TH OR 17TH MARCH 2027

Full-day final on the Lille Campus

STUDENTS

1

BEGINING OF JANUARY 2027

Registration, team formation and case selection

2

END OF JANUARY - MID-FEBRUARY 2027

Ideation based on manager feedback

3

FEBRUARY 2027

Iteration - Final validation of the concept for the challenge

4

16TH OR 17TH MARCH 2027

Final - Lille Campus

TESTED AND APPROVED!

15 editions - more than 100 partner companies!

 

PARTNER INSIGHTS

 Deloitte 

 

Manon David and Léo Lachenal, employees at Deloitte, look back on the enriching experience of the EDHEC Open Innovation 2025 Challenge, where students brilliantly rose to the company's challenges while strengthening the ties between Deloitte and our future talent.

 

Innovators 2026

 

AWARDS TO WIN!

🌟 Game-Changer Award

🗨️ Customer Champion Award

🛠️ Best Prototype Award

💓 Coup de coeur Jury Award

📣 Audience Award

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Preparing your business case typically takes no more than half a day. You are welcome to use an existing case, which can be adapted to the EDHEC learning format and simplified if needed with the support of our teaching coordinator. Throughout the preparation process, you will receive a toolkit of resources and benefit from the guidance of your EDHEC contact.

Students select the company they wish to work with based on your business case brief. A clear, engaging and well-defined challenge will help attract the strongest student teams.

On average, around 35 students are assigned to each company, depending on the total number of participating partners. Students work in teams of 5 to 6.

No. Business cases are presented and discussed publicly during the plenary sessions and the final presentations. We therefore recommend avoiding the use of confidential information.

Each year, we carefully coordinate the programme to minimise overlap between similar business cases. When necessary, companies working on related topics are scheduled on different days. Sharing your topic with us early in the preparation phase helps us prevent potential conflicts.

Yes. As the Master's programme is taught entirely in English, participants should feel comfortable communicating in English, even if they do not use it on a daily basis.

Yes. Attendance at the online Kick-Off meeting is mandatory. It is an opportunity to prepare your business case within the EDHEC pedagogical framework, review the project timeline, ask practical questions and meet the EDHEC team as well as the other partner companies.
Two online coaching sessions with the student teams are also scheduled. These sessions are the manager's only opportunity to interact with all teams before the final presentation, clarify expectations, answer questions and encourage deeper thinking. We strongly recommend that the manager leading the case personally facilitates these sessions rather than delegating them.

We recommend that two business representatives participate throughout the seminar. They may be accompanied by an HR representative during the exchanges with students. If no HR representative is present, business representatives should be prepared to answer questions about career opportunities and effectively showcase their company's involvement in the programme.

ACCESS

 

 

CONTACTS

EDHEC Open Innovation Project Manager
+33 (0)1 87 89 91 97
Educational Manager
Corporate Events Manager