Innovation Programmes
A unique aspect of our approach to innovation and enterprise is our collaboration with the Centre for Technology, Innovation and Enterprise (C-TIE) at Leeds University Business School.
Researchers from C-TIE bring their knowledge and expertise in innovation practice to improve our outcomes, working with our Technology Innovation Managers to shape innovation processes and evaluate performance.
C-TIE researchers study innovation management throughout the Medical Technologies IKC, both at the level of overall programme management and within individual technology projects, investigating and evaluating the complex innovation processes that surround the commercialisation of medical technologies.
By embedding C-TIE researchers within project teams and creating a formal Innovation and Impact Group (IIG) within the Medical Technologies IKC, we have enabled findings from C-TIE to be fed into the IKC’s Executive Management Group and into our day to day activity.
Rather than produce simple recommendations in the manner of conventional management consultancy, C-TIE researchers and project teams share their findings and insights and engage in discussion to foster a continuous critical awareness of the challenges of innovation management within the Medical Technologies IKC.
The work with C-TIE has led to the development of training modules and courses on innovation and to a toolkit to help encourage innovation within small and medium sized enterprises in the region.
CDT INNOVATION MODULE
Our three-week innovation placement as part of the Leeds Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine encourages students to start thinking about the possible clinical and commercial aspects of their research.
The Leeds CDT is one of 70 UK centres funded by EPSRC to equip postgraduates with the skills needed to address healthcare challenges that will increasingly become major global issues. Innovation training is considered an important aspect of the students’ development and our Innovation Module has already helped nearly 30 students gain a better understanding of the commercialisation process.
Within the placement, students understand the creation of value through innovation from a consumer’s point of view, meeting with clinicians and clinical commissioners to consider their appreciation of value. Students also meet with experts from industry to find out about innovation practice and understand how companies innovate, manage their IP and navigate the medical technology regulatory system.
Finally, students work in project teams to tackle a specific clinical challenge. At the end of the placement they present their solutions and are evaluated on their innovation concepts. Online forums supporting the course allow students to engage with each other and with course tutors to raise any queries or issues or to explore some of the subjects in depth.
POSTGRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN INNOVATION MANAGEMENT
Our Post Graduate Certificate in Innovation Management aims to equip post graduate researchers to steer their research innovations towards a commercial outcome.
Developed with Leeds University Business School (LUBS), the course uses an ‘action learning’ approach based around researchers’ existing projects and industrial colleagues, as well as university professionals who contribute their perspectives and experience. The course brings in guest speakers covering a range of key players in the innovation and commercialisation process, including industry partners as well as scientists, engineers, clinicians, regulatory bodies, IP services and funding groups. Students also work on their own innovation projects, giving them the opportunity to put their knowledge into practice.
Now in its third year, the programme has already provided over 30 students with knowledge of the market they are targeting and the ability to look at their research from the perspective of a potential end user.
SME INNOVATION DEVELOPMENT
Our work with Leeds University Business School (LUBS) has led to the creation of a toolkit of innovation expertise, now being applied to regional SMEs within the healthcare sector to help them better understand the challenges they face in managing innovation.
The toolkit is based on research carried out within the Medical Technologies IKC by academics from the Centre for Technology, Innovation and Enterprise in LUBS. The research looked at large-scale programme management and emerging networks, to develop an understanding of how the newly created Medical Technologies IKC developed, connected and shared knowledge.
The research provided revealing insights into the management of emerging technologies, such as how the acceleration of innovation outcomes could be achieved; how an organisational capability in technology innovation could be created; and how new innovation opportunities can be articulated.
Ten SMEs have received support on innovation management and expertise.
I now have a broader set of skills and knowledge and a strong research project portfolio that is useful for more industry-based research.
Matt Tomlinson, Postgraduate Certificate in Innovation Management
2014 Materials Research Exchange: UK Advanced Materials Showcase
2014 Materials Research Exchange: UK Advanced Materials Showcase
The Materials KTN is hosting the 2014 Materials Research Exchange to showcase the UK’s Centres of Excellence in materials research and development – with the Medical Technologies IKC to host an exhibition space.
Aim and scope
Showcasing the richness of UK materials research to support the government’s view that advanced materials are amongst UK’s Eight Great Technologies
- Closer collaboration between industry and UK materials research base
- Increased public and private funding for UK materials research
- Private equity support for commercialising UK materials research
What are the benefits?
The expected outcomes from the event are:
- Increase UK and Overseas Industrial Funding for UK Materials Research
- Establishment testing of closer ties and identify opportunities for collaboration with the UK Materials Research base
- Highlight, Promote and Showcase the UK Materials Research base to UK public bodies (e.g. TSB, NHS, MOD and Government Departments) to encourage greater funding for R&D and New Product Development
Presentations, Seminars and Workshops
There will be keynote addresses by high-profile industrialists on the importance of materials research to the competitiveness of their business
EPSRC and the Technology Strategy Board will be staging a series of seminars and workshops
Poster Display and Competition
Exhibiting organisations are invited to send graduate research students to present their academic work by poster and a prize will be awarded to the poster that is judged to be the best by the audience. It is expected that posters would areas such as:
- Materials for sustainable energy generation, transmission, storage and efficient usage
- Lightweight materials to reduce energy consumption and emissions
- Materials with reduced environmental impact and approaches to reduce use of materials that may become scarce
- High-value added materials for healthcare and for asset and personal security
- Integration of new materials, coatings and flexible electronics to create smart devices
- Materials to survive in aggressive environments
Requests for poster space can be made via the online registration form.
Visitors
Industrial representatives attend as delegates to view the stands and discuss the ideas presented. This event is free of charge to all visitors.
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37th Leeds iMBE Annual Day Conference & MeDe Innovation Launch
37th Leeds iMBE Annual Day Conference & MeDe Innovation Launch
Innovative Manufacturing in Medical Devices – the 37th Leeds iMBE Annual Day Conference and EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Medical Devices (MeDe Innovation) Launch
The 37th Leeds iMBE Annual Day Conference and EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Medical Devices (MeDe Innovation) Launch will be focussed around “Innovative Manufacturing of Medical Devices” as part of the launch for the EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing.
This year’s conference will take place on Friday 10 January, at the Metropole Hotel, King Street, Leeds.
Delegates will hear from respected industry and academic experts and learn how the Institute and Centre is stimulating translation and connecting the medical device community in the UK in order to accelerate manufacturing processes through to business and the clinic.
Conference Programme
10.00 Registration and networking
10.30 Welcome by the Chair – Professor John Fisher
10.35 Introduction to MeDe Innovation – Brian Jones, Orthopaedic Research UK
10.45 MeDe Research Challenge 2: Manufacturing at the Point of Need – Professor Kenny Dalgarno, Newcastle University
11.00 Innovating to meet unseen needs – Constraints in Medical Device Manufacturing – Edward Draper, JRI Ltd
11.15 Personalised Implant Design and Surgical Planning – Daniel Daryaie, Materialise UK Ltd
11.30 Panel discussion: Professor Phil Coates (University of Bradford), Professor Paul Hatton (University of Sheffield), Giles Profitt (Surgical Innovations), Alan Silman (ARUK), Tim Morley (Smith and Nephew),
12.15 Overview of National Outreach Activities – Dr Ceri Williams, University of Leeds
12.30 Lunch, exhibition and networking
2.00 MeDe Research Challenge 1: Functionally Stratified Design and Manufacture – Professor John Fisher
2.05 You Walk, I Run: Robust, Stratified, Design and Testing for Medical Devices – Graham Issac, DePuy Synthes Companies of Johnson & Johnson
2.20 The Clinical Perspective – Prof Andrew McCaskie, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Cambridge
2.30 Product Introduction in the US Market – Steven Kurtz, Exponent Inc
2.40 Panel discussion: Prof David Grant (University of Nottingham), Graham Isaac (DePuy), Steve Kurtz (Exponent), Andrew McCaskie (Addenbrooke’s Hospital), John Wilkinson (MHRA)
3.20 Get involved: Launch of the Feasibility Studies
3.30 Close and networking
3.45 Early Career Researcher Forum – a forum for early career researchers to highlight their concerns, issues and opportunities in a relaxed environment with other early career researchers from across the centre.
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A Short Definition of Innovation
A Short Definition of Innovation
The Oxford Dictionary of English defines innovation as “the action or process of innovating”, and less circularly as “a new method, idea, product, etc”. The root verb to innovate is to “make changes in something established, especially by introducing new methods, ideas, or products”. The 16th century origin of the word is from the Latin verb innovare that fuses “into” and “make new”.
The website Wikipedia offers a deeper insight into the definition of innovation to be (at the time of writing), the creation of better or more effective products, processes, technologies, or ideas that are accepted by markets, governments and society” . Now a review of the evolution of this Wikipedia entry on innovation reveals a considerable polemic on what innovation is and what it is not. Furthermore, the subject ventures to address aspects of innovation that are important for organisations where the following definitions are presented:
- ”[Innovation] is generally understood as the successful introduction of a better thing or method. [It] is the embodiment, combination, or synthesis of knowledge in original, relevant, valued new products, processes, or services.”
- “Innovation is the multi-stage process whereby organizations transform ideas into improved products, service or processes, in order to advance, compete and differentiate themselves successfully in their marketplace.”
- “All innovation begins with creative ideas. […] We define innovation as the successful implementation of creative ideas within an organization. In this view, creativity by individuals and teams is a starting point for innovation; the first is a necessary but not sufficient condition for the second”.
- “Innovation, like many business functions, is a management process that requires specific tools, rules, and discipline.”
It becomes clear that innovation can take many forms according to its context. It can apply to products and processes. It can enhance performance or simplify practice. It can increase value or reduce cost. It is borne by teams of investigators co-ordinated within large projects or by individuals who might have a good idea. Innovation thus presents itself as a multi-faceted catch-all term that embraces all things which can be considered to be progress, at least in an economic sense.
Rather than depend on a heuristic set of specific examples to describe what innovation is and explain how it should be done, there is a need before going further to fix a-priori a definition to provide some firm grip on this thing which we will examine. Such a definition, as sparse and as general as can be delivered as this time, is as follows:-
INNOVATION: is Making Information Valuable
One might immediately detect a fix. The incertitude surrounding innovation is being transferred into the doubly intangible terms of Information and Value. Nevertheless, we have our starting point and a large part of what follows is a justification of this somewhat cryptic definition.
With this definition we should associate innovation with its two close relations: invention and risk. Invention, or more broadly discovery, is the creative act that provides an initial idea, which is the information and which may or may not have value. This is the initial risk of the invention. Thomas Edison famously defined genius to be 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. The creative act of invention is the 1% component. Innovation then demands 99% of one’s genius to be dedicated to developing the value of that information of discovery. Value here can take its classical forms of use-value or exchange-value, the former representing the direct utility of the invention, where the latter provides for an exchange of the invention for other goods that actually are of use.
We will go onto develop a more quantitative and phenomenological notion of value as we proceed to discuss innovation on this forum.
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