As a partner in innovation, the IHU Strasbourg took part in the 2026 edition of CreaSXB, the Fall School on Creativity Management, held on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. This week-long event, co-organized by the University of Strasbourg (BETA—Office of Theoretical and Applied Economics) and HEC Montréal, explores creativity through the lens of the major challenges facing our society.
This year’s central focus: the exposome. This concept refers to the totality of environmental (non-genetic) exposures to which an individual is subjected throughout their life, and which directly influence their health and the development of diseases.
For the IHU Strasbourg, this day had two key objectives: to share our expertise in innovation and to position ourselves as a practical hub for exploration around this major societal challenge.
From Inspiration to Innovation: Sharing Our Approach
While the event’s aim is to explore creativity, the IHU’s goal is to provide participants with practical tools to stimulate and structure it. Following a presentation on the international Clinnova project by Jean Sibilia, Julie Freydière (Director of Operations) and Alexandre Haller (Innovation Manager) shared the institute’s expertise.
Creative processes are not solely a matter of inspiration; they rely on proven methods to lead to innovation. During their visit to our technology platforms, they explained the IHU’s methodology, inspired by Biodesign: an approach focused on identifying real-world challenges, ideation, and prototyping, which has proven highly effective in our projects.
The Exposome: A New Field for Creative Exploration
The morning session also provided context for major regional projects rooted in the One Health approach (human, animal, and environmental health), with a focus on the rollout of the Alsace Exposome platform. As a particularly broad and multidisciplinary subject, the analysis of chemical pollutants and their effects on living organisms opens up a wealth of opportunities for creative professionals.
Collective Intelligence in Action
The afternoon gave way to hands-on activities. Working in groups, participants put themselves in the shoes of citizens to devise solutions that would make the exposome accessible to the general public. These collaborative workshops were marked by shifts in perspective, idea prototyping, and presentations to a panel of judges.
The day concluded with a roundtable discussion on the future of innovation in healthcare.
Future collaborations centered on the exposome promise to be exciting, and the IHU Strasbourg stands ready to get involved in these new synergies!
To learn more: Visit the official CreaSBX website
