Managing the Innovation Process from the Research Perspective
Oct 12th to 16th at Sing-Sing 4th fl. conf. room 443 (Lindstedts väg 30)
Course description/Content: IPR Analysis will use various search engines and
mapping tools to determine who owns intellectual property necessary for the practice of
a new technology, and who is currently working on creating relevant IPR. Strategies for
controlling IPR, locking-up necessary components, and keeping potential competitors at
bay will be discussed. Market Analysis will distill a realistic picture of the market pull
for the application of the new technology through direct contact with companies that are
already in the business or planning to enter the market. Legal and ethical means of
gathering information about competitor’s strategies will be described. Creating a
Business Model will focus on the value proposition associated with commercialization
of the new technology, means of differentiating the new product and protecting it from
competitors, examination of the competitive/regulatory environment surrounding the
new product, and partnering opportunities to speed commercialization. Prioritizing R &
D to Fulfill the Business Model will examine when it is warranted to finance internal
research projects aimed at closing the gaps between current technical capability and
that which is required for a full evaluation of the new product, and when it is wise to
seek external sources of IPR or R&D to close the gaps. Selling R & D Projects to
Senior Management, Business Leaders or Venture Capitalists will teach attendees
to put their proposals into a form that is understood and appreciated by business
people. Managing R & D Projects and Stakeholder Buy-in will give the attendee
tools to run R&D projects using criteria and a timeline established with the business
stakeholders. Real Options theory is used to analyze the risks involved in investments
in new technologies – a tool used by Boeing to determine its R&D portfolio.
Course participants will receive hands-on experience in three workshops with the
preparation and presentation of an IPR analysis, a market analysis, a business model,
and an R&D strategy for the development of a new technology of their choice.
Learning objectives: Attendees are expected to go away with a practical knowledge of
how to conduct the innovation process according to current best practices.
Pre-requisites: Grounding in a technology that has market potential.
Contributors: The course lecturers are all senior people who have worked in the
innovation field in industry and published extensively on the innovation process. These
include Bengt Järrehult, Director Idea & Knowledge Management at SCA (former MD,
SE Asia at Akzo Nobel Surface Chemistry), Bruce Lyne, Prof. KTH (former Director of
Corporate R&D for International Paper and President of YKI), Scott Mathews, Technical
Fellow at Boeing responsible for assessing new technologies, Raoul Stubbe,
Affärscoach Stockholm Innovation & Growth, (founder and former president of
Proximion Fiber Optics), Eric Giertz, Prof. at INDEK and former business strategy
consultant and founder of the KTH Executive School, Donnie Lygonis, Technology
Transfer Manager at KTH Innovation and entrepreneur who started several companies,
Pia Wågberg, Manager of Innovation at Innventia (former manager of product
innovation at SCA).
Literature/Course material: Articles from Research and Technology Management and
from best-selling books outlining best practices in managing the innovation process will
be provided.
Contact person/Course coordinator: Prof. Bruce Lyne, lyne@kth.se mobile:
0705529910
Type: KTH registered course for doctoral students
ECTS: 5 points
Examination: Marks for the course will be 50% from the daily assignments and 50%
from a take-home exam given out the last day. Besides questions regarding all aspects
of the innovation process, students will examine their own technology areas with
advanced intellectual property search tools from Thomson Innovation.