INNOVATION Points for consideration

Outcomes of Breakout Hope to accomplish a several outcomes:

1.  Continue progress from the morning discussions 2.  Better understand innovation at university level 3.  Better understand the limitations

Ultimate Goal

Leave with a realistic view of what is possible and what where to focus attention

WHERE DOES INNOVATION COME FROM?

Research Advantages •  Part of the core mission of most of our universities •  Great thinkers and innovators who have ability to devote time •  Enthusiastic labor force of RAs, grad students, post-docs •  Often have access to government funds

Challenges •  Not good at getting new ideas "off the lab bench” (not trained to

bring solutions to market) •  Theoretical research; rewards and incentives are towards

academic papers, not usable solutions •  Completely different skill set to be an entrepreneur •  Shrinking funding base from many governments

Academic training Advantages •  New ideas can be incorporated into coursework to challenge

students to think creatively in analytic sand problem solving •  Hands-on experiential learning becoming more popular •  Research for student projects can complement needs of

practitioners in the field •  Can use the campus to testing new approaches, providing

insight, feedback and practical field testing

Challenges •  Takes more time to prepare students to think creatively and

analytically to solve real world problems •  Physical limitations to using the campus as a learning lab

Collaboration Advantages •  An area of growing importance for universities – especially

local and regional partnerships •  Sharing operational strategies can provide new insights •  More likely to take some risks when know there is a broader

support network with professional expertise and advice •  Sum is greater than the whole

Challenges •  Still have a "first mover" risk – the first to try a new technology

is the one that takes the majority of risk for failure. •  Collaborative may wait for someone else to start. •  Coordination is time consuming, and often considered outside

scope of regular duties.