Handbook

Innovation is key to maintain sustainable competitive advantage for organisations around the world. However, bringing innovations to market in the form of a product successfully and repeatedly is a daunting task. This course blends the basics every engineer/researcher/manager needs to translate innovations into products in both entrepreneurial and established firms. The course will provide an appreciation for the realities of industrial practice and for the complex and essential roles played by the various members of product innovation teams. We will touch upon the topics of exploring and scoping innovations; product design and development, design for environment – sustainable development goals, prototyping, patents and intellectual property, product development economics, aspects of managing projects and project risk, preparing business plan, and lean startup principles. Efforts will be made to strike a balance between theory and practice through emphasis on methods. When possible, the topics are built around examples drawn from industrial practices to illustrate the important aspects of the activities. Overall, the course will introduce you to the nuts and bolts of entrepreneurship and innovation cycle. Regular class activities will be complemented with seminars/discussions by industry speakers and experts to provide practical insights.