The long awaited Callaghan Innovation launched last week. Personally I look forward to the step change it promises. In particular, I look forward to seeing more connections being made between business and government, more collaboration and hope that this heralds support and growth of some of the great business innovation initiatives that are already operating successfully. It’s fantastic to see a growing and thriving innovation industry.
Early in the year I was lucky enough to spend some time with Sir Ray Avery, who I have to say is a man with a great deal of character, effervescent for life, people and ideas.
This book is a true celebration of the kiwi entrepreneurs and innovators in this country and will be an inspiration to many of us striving for success; a wonderful anecdotal read and a beautiful book. Happy reading!
Revolution Fibres, an Auckland company that uses nanotechnology to make super strong fibres – in particular, for air filters for household ventilation systems, high strength fishing rods and fabric to enhance skin healing – claimed the supreme prize at the 2012 New Zealand Innovators Awards more>>by Idealog,
I really like this short article by Andrew Waldeck about innovation bottle necks. So much of what we do as innovators is about breaking down barriers and changing the way we do things. As leaders if we concentrate on breaking down the barriers to get projects done then we would be far more successful at getting the innovation results we are desire.
To help you identify barriers that stop innovation from happening and enable you to improve your innovation performance check out the New Zealand Innovation Monitor survey.
A very scary but enlightening look in to how our ‘innovation eco-system’ is being managed!
Where is business in this equation? You may well ask….this blog by Peter Kerr at idealog.co.nz is definitely worth a read and a comment.
“You have an interesting (to say the least) and challenging brief to frame up the Advanced Technology Institute (your terms of reference will be most enlightening)”.
Mega Trends…A big thanks you to IRL for hosting the New Zealand Innovation Council forum last month.
For me the real insight came with the discussion around mega trends and some of the truly BIG things that are happening out there….and I don’t just mean Twitter, Facebook or the trend towards Green products and services. But the really big things…tsunami type BIG!
These mega trends are fast becoming a BIG part of the world that we live in and we need to prepare by changing the way we think about our customers; from how we engage with them to the products and services that they buy. We are no longer in the knowledge economy but in the connected tech economy.
Brett Telfer, Sector Strategy Manager at IRL gave us a good update and outline about some of the Future Trends globally and here in New Zealand.
I have ferreted out some more examples of the some of the mega tends that are becoming so important to the way we do business. These are really very exciting and worth a look.
Steven Johnson brings a diverse perspective to thinking differently in this video from the Google Atmosphere 2011 Conference. He makes several points about creating more innovation connections through;
The need for increased diversity of people and perspectives within organisations
The need to ‘artificially’ create environments these diverse environments in order to tackle business problems and issues
The need to develop networks and collaborative partnerships with different parts of the value chain in order to develop better products and services.
…And the fact that developing more collaborative environments and encouraging diverse thinking will ensure that you are creating innovative products and services that service future markets more>>
The 2012 Intellectual Property & Commercialisation Forum is designed to define the place of intellectual property use in the new digital world as well as to create a collaborative environment to share successful commercialisation strategies and stories.
Discussing a range of issues surrounding:
Intellectual property and the internet
Strategies for the commercialisation of intellectual property
Effective management of intellectual property
Encouraging more innovation in New Zealand
Book Now: 10 September 2012 – 11 September 2012, Crowne Plaza, Auckland View the agenda >>
Find out what the 7 biggest and most common mistakes that organizations should avoid as they try to build trust within their innovation networks and communities? more>>
Hosted in Hamilton 11th June 2012, at the Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts - this conference is focused on getting businesses to think differently about the way they connect to customers and markets. The full-day conference, based in New Zealand’s heartland Hamilton, is specifically designed to help you crack the world market. Registration Fee: $220 (including GST) more>>
Friday 6 July from 12.00 – 5.15pm. This year’s ICE Network event is all about looking to the future. Join us to understand the impact of global trends and how you can maximise opportunities from them. more>>
A great article by Fast Company…simple but poignant for those of us dealing with corporate life – it highlights the challenge of developing the new while still pandering to the status quo.
A must read for all those in business trying to get the new stuff through the corporate structures of old. Maybe forward it on to your boss for a read too! more>>
Brett O’Riley is jumping ship from the soon-to-be-defunct MSI to ATEED, which has appointed him chief executive.
O’Riley is currently the deputy chief executive, business innovation and investments for the MSI and has also held senior executive positions with a number of private and public sector companies including NZICT Group, Telecom and Gen-i. more>>
The tropical downpour swamps gutters along Halsey St beside Auckland’s Viaduct Basin, turning the deserted industrial zone a bleaker grey.
Guests arriving at the North Sails building on Pakenham St West, shoes sodden, shake out umbrellas and climb the stairs. Stormy weather for research and development (R&D). more>>
A great synopsis by Walter Issacson of the Steve Jobs biography…especilally good if like me you are waiting for a family member to finish the book so you can read it! more>>
In 1976, the University of California engineer created the first Apple computer, throwing open the doors to the home microcomputer revolution. Along with Steve Jobs, he revolutionised the future we now take for granted more>>
14 March & 15 March 2012
Melbourne Museum and Grand Hyatt
Themed ‘Connect & Discover’, Conference 2012 offers all participants the opportunity to hear from Hargraves members as they share real stories and case studies of their experiences around innovation.
It also provides opportunities to meet and network with like-minded individuals, both inside and outside the Hargraves community more>>
Thursday 8th March register for FREE…you just have to get to Boston!
Maybe you’re setting corporate innovation priorities. Or you’re leading a collaboration effort for new product ideas. Or you’re shaping the future through customer feedback and market insights. Whatever the specifics, you’re helping drive your organization’s ability to innovate.
Brought to you by; Imaginatik and the Fidelity Center for Applied Technology
Thursday, March 8, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m, Boston, MA
Don’t miss the Keynote from Deborah Mills-Scofield, former innovation leader at AT&T Bell Labs more>>
Held in Philadelphia onApril 16th- 18th 2012 and now in its 6th year this conference will continue to attract Open Innovation professionals from North America’s leading companies as they discuss the benefits of collaborative innovation in action.
More than 14 hours of practical insight delivered by those at the forefront of Open Innovation for GE Capital, DuPont, Merck, Lockheed Martin, The Hershey Company and many more will cover a variety of innovation topics.
Ministry for Science and Innovation have a system for identifying funding that maybe available to you. Just type into the search field to find your best funding match. Go to MSI now to find out more >>
So…what is a Social Entrepreneur? Social entrepreneurs are people who see unmet social needs and build new initiatives to address them. They run non-profits, social enterprises and social businesses.
Thank you to all our supporters, friends and colleages for a truely fantastic year! We have made some good in-roadsinto developing an innovation industry and taking innovation into the mainstream.
For those of you that would like some truely inspirational holiday reading – don’t miss out on getting your copy of Idealog with lots of great innovation stories!
Have an very Happy Christmas and an Innovative 2012!
MONDAY 5TH DECEMBER, 9.45am for 10am start at the University of Auckland Business School, Owen G Glenn Building, 12 Grafton Road, Auckland.
MSI and the University of Auckland are hosting Oren Gershtein who will answer the question that the rest of the world wants the secret to, ‘how did Israel go from growing oranges to have the largest number of high tech companies on the NASDAQ after Canada and the United States?’
“A healthy and smart nation, needs knowledge to pervade every aspect of its activities and no society can meet its citizens objectives without greater economic prosperity”
Hear Sir Peter Gluckman talk about the development of an Innovation Eco-system. Sir Peter Gluckman is an international advocate for science and innovation, promoting the translation of discoveries in bio-medical research into improvements in long term health outcomes.
Don’t miss out for this FREE event, sign up now…
Monday 5th December
Auckland Convention Centre, Lower NZI Conference Rooms
5pm Registration, 5.30pm Start – 7.00pm: Len Brown and Sir Peter Gluckman, followed by Q&A.
TCI (Competitiveness Institute) are hosting their annual conference here in Auckland from the 28th November – 2nd December 2011
Don’t miss out, join practitioners, researchers, business leaders, cluster practitioners and policy-makers interested in competitiveness, innovation and economic development for this inspiring, global economic and commerce summit in Auckland.
The conference includes a gala dinner and other networking events between 28 November and 2 December 2011.
Cameras flashed, glasses clinked and pink paperclip trophies were dished out as 250-plus gathered for the 2011 New Zealand Innovators Awards ceremony at the HP/Intel Winter Garden in Wynyard Quarter.
Previously known as the Bayer Innovators Awards, this year the competition pulled in 124 entries, which a team of evaluators from academia and business whittled down to 24 finalists.
…find out at the intraprenuership summit 2011 International speaker, Dr Peter Gray, 3M and Felicity Lawrence, Director DOC share their thoughts on creating an innovative culture in the workplace. Join the conversation with our expert panel and discuss your challenges and the solutions that are working at the Ernst & Young Building – 15th November 2011, from 9.30am to 1.00pm
Recently the Innovation Council hosted a tour and discussion at 3M. Michael Holderness our host organised a tour of their innovation centre and purpose built 5 star rated sustainable building; as well as a lively discussion about the practices and processes that they use at 3M and the products and services that they have developed.
What stood out for me most about this discussion was the shear number of products and services launched as a result of developing one piece of base technology and applying it to several market verticles.
In a recent article in the New Zealand Herald, Peter Lee – CEO of UniServices said; ”this country excels at knowledge-based innovation, which can be worth a lot of money even before it is developed into a finished product. Research and development, can be a lucrative business in its own right…corporations will pay for intellectual property,” he said.
So…our challenge New Zealand is to develop new products and services by finding new ways to apply technology across markets and sectors.
Become the Innovation ‘Expert’ in your Organisation!
> Innovation Management and Stage-Gate Systems This Short Course is about using Innovation Management practices to develop an innovation framework that will make innovation tangible, measurable and targeted; while integrating it into existing systems and processes to ensure accessibility and engagement from all staff.
Learn about the principles of Innovation Management, get practical tips on how to develop a culture and climate of innovation and learn how to develop your own Innovation Management programme.
Don’t miss out courses are filling fast! >Register Now
The Australasian Innovation & Investment Summit (InnoVest 2011) is an opportunity for entrepreneurs, investors and advisors to examine issues, share insights and showcase Australasian innovation and investment. Speakers include; Dr Isaac Bentwich, Dr Rick Boven, Sir Paul Callaghan, Andy Hamilton, Rod Oram, Phil O’Reilly and Sir Steven Tindal. > To Register
Launched at the ICEIdeas Conference last week, was an initiative called 3000.org.nz. – it is founded on the premise that we need to develop and create 3000 new and successful companies by 2020 in order to maintain our great kiwi ‘lifestyle’. Sound familiar, remember the knowledge wave….so what the difference?
We certainly have some very smart savvy people in New Zealand (some of whom were showcased at the ICEIdeas Conference) and are starting to see successful companies emerge out of our green fields, but is this enough?
What happened to the medium to large businesses in this picture? These organisations already have their BAU systems in place, they have large amounts of people resource, they have well established brands, and they often have developed export channels and product and service offerings that are well defined.
Surely enabling this group to get better at what they do would be a far cheaper investment in time and resources to grow the New Zealand economy and would enable a much faster rate of change. I’ll let you decide for yourselves… >more
Go online, subscribe or buy one from your favorite book store….this is a great read with loads of interesting New Zealand organisations both large and small doing really great innovative stuff – hurray for us!
In particular one of our NZ Innovation Council members SKM along with Ideas Accelerator Ltd has developed and demonstrated how they have used innovation in their projects to drive efficiencies, develop new ways of doing things, created opportunities to work together better and delivered tangibly better results.
If you have developed a novel product or service, solved a complex problem or generated a breakthrough idea – then don’t miss your moment to stand out from the crowd! http://innovators.org.nz
Recently the Innovation Council hosted an innovation and sustainability event at Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM). We heard from a number of organisations: SKM, 3M and Bayer New Zealand about the development and implementation of their sustianability programs.
The use of innovative practices and the development of new products and services was a key theme throughout the presentations and highlighted the role that innovation plays in creating a more sustainable future for us all.
I have highlighted some of my key takeouts below;
Developing new products and services, adjusting existing processes and using new technologies to deliver on sustainability strategies was a common theme
That like innovation, sustainability programs are largely about engaging staff and developing initiatives that connect with and appeal to people. Finding practical and everyday activities that would help deliver on sustainability targets was essential
Integrating innovation and sustainability practices into systems and processes helped staff to make ‘fluffy theory’ more actionable and tangible
Unlike innovation, sustainability is appealing to almost everyone in some capacity ie. you don’t have to be a raging greeny to believe that you can make the world a slightly better place by using less toilet paper and having shorter showers!
““There are very few people in the world today more closely associated with innovation than Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs”.
“He is the classic American entrepreneur - starting his company in the spare bedroom of his parents’ house and pioneering the development of the first personal computer for everyday use”. “Jobs was fired from the company he had started but he returned in 1997″ – to reinvent it over the next 10 years.
The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs (McGraw-Hill, 2010), reveals the 7 principles that are largely responsible for his breakthrough success.“Principles you can adopt today to “think different” and reinvent your company, product or service”.
The new book by world famous creative thinking guru Edward De Bono shows you how we think, why we think that way and how using simple techniques, we can think better Think!
The world is full of problems and conflicts. So why can we not solve them? According to Edward de Bono, current thinking cannot solve world problems because current thinking is itself the problem. And this is getting worse: we are so accustomed to readily available information online that we search immediately for the answers rather than thinking about them.
De Bono examines why we think the way we do from a historical perspective and uses some of his famous thinking techniques combined with new ideas to show us how to change the way we think.
Revolution Fibres, an Auckland company that uses nanotechnology to make super strong fibres – in particular, for air filters for household ventilation systems, high strength fishing rods and fabric to enhance skin healing – claimed the supreme prize at the 2012 New Zealand Innovators Awards 
Friday 6 July from 12.00 – 5.15pm. This year’s ICE Network event is all about looking to the future. Join us to understand the impact of global trends and how you can maximise opportunities from them. 
Brett O’Riley is jumping ship from the soon-to-be-defunct MSI to ATEED, which has appointed him chief executive.
