About

MINDS & SPARKS GmbH is an independent non-profit research and innovation organisation based in Vienna Austria. It focuses on fostering science, innovation, and technology to address major challenges and to develop new methods and solutions for a better society. MINDS & SPARKS creates strong connections between science, technology and society using interdisciplinary approaches, promoting best practices and raising awareness on research and innovation achievements.

For technology-oriented projects, we are offering established services in the field of requirements engineering, information visualisation, application testing, and user validation. Furthermore, the organisation focuses on improving the sustainability of research and innovation outcomes especially of public-funded projects to ensure that spent resources lead to enduring positive impacts for the society as a whole. MINDS & SPARKS is formed by a team of highly skilled personnel which holds many years of experience in designing, leading and implementing research and advisory projects.

The organisation is connected to various research and innovation networks including international research organisations, academic institutions, civil societies, NGOs, governments, municipalities, technology providers and industries in various sectors including health, security, energy, and transport.

INVOLVEMENT IN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION PROJECTS

Requirements Engineering

Use Case Specification

Information Visualisation

Interface Design

We offer to take over the requirements engineering in software projects to help to address the specific needs of the clients and the end-users. In order to refine the specifications collected within this phase, we are using different techniques like visual personas, surveys, interviews and other to derive the users’ needs. To uphold consistent high-quality standards, we emphasize thorough and iterative communication techniques between all partners during the stages of requirements engineering.

We are experienced in providing information visualisation in context of big data analytics and other data-driven projects. Using modern graph libraries and web-based implementation frameworks, we excel in creating modern data dashboard designs. We are also specialised in providing intuitive interface designs for web applications and mobile apps. During the creation process of user interfaces in research projects we are following a multi-step approach to provide designs at right scale based on the individual project focus.

Application Testing

User Validation

Dissemination

Project Marketing

We are using established testing approaches for application tests at different scales for the specific needs during research and innovation projects. To validate project outcomes through the opinion of end users we are applying user surveys or acceptance tests. Due to this approach we are able to integrate real-life experiences into projects and therefore increase the overall quality of the software and services resulting out from it.

We are an experienced dissemination, exploitation and communication partner for your project. Following the DEC guidelines provided by the EC, our creatives provide recognisable project identities, leaflets and individual print materials, as well as project websites and digital designs for your social media channels thus maximising your projects’ impact. We are planning all marketing activities along the main project strategy.