The challenge was structured as competition, and students worked in teams. Each team was matched with an ING employee who coached them for 6 weeks. At the end of this period the winners presented their solution to senior managers at ING headquarters.

Sustainable solutions and impact

ING selected 2 teams as the winners of the challenge. The first team’s solution focused how ING could assist its clients in opting for more environmentally friendly options for their households. The second team’s solution focused on how ING could modify their customers’ shopping habits by prompting them to make more sustainable purchases. ‘The challenge is a great example of how our MSc programme gives students the tools and the opportunity to create impact and come up with sustainable innovative solutions’, says Dr Chila.

Future collaboration

This initiative was facilitated by the Amsterdam Living Case Lab (ALCL). The ALCL connects companies with the courses and study programmes and works with the lecturers to structure the innovation problems. In this particular project, ING stated that all the ideas submitted were high-quality innovation solutions. The bank was so impressed with how the teams responded to the challenge that the winning students were offered positions in ING’s traineeship program. Thanks to the success of the challenge, ING plans to continue this collaboration with the ABS in the future.