See below for a selection of the Innovation Network's case studies
The key objective of the Tailored Programme was to understand the best practices needed, and learn the mistakes to be avoided, as it transitions from launch to continual operation of an innovation initiative. In particular, Afton was seeking to understand:
• How to develop an innovation strategy and gain acceptance of it
• How to improve collaboration within, and outside, the firm
• How to make the best use of technology to support innovation.
The objective of the tailored programme was to enhance the understanding of the AstraZeneca Discovery, Innovation and Science Council as to how other leading global organisations, which are not direct competitors, are dealing with the challenges of successfully delivering against changing market and customer needs.
While ATC has for a long time been using many forms of partnership, collaboration and technology scouting and other Open Innovation practices, the objectives of the tailored programme for ATC were to:
• Provide a common understanding of Open Innovation principles as they apply to BAE Systems
• Share existing best practice experience in Open Innovation within ATC and BAE Systems
• Gain insights from other organisations and explore potential collaboration or learning opportunities
• Identify actions for enhancing the way BAE Systems approaches Open Innovation in future.
The Innovation Network's team were engaged to help develop and gain alignment around a new unified system for managing the performance of all innovation projects. This was developed within a tailored programme, offered as part of the Networks membership.
The objective of the programme was to support the Boots innovation team develop approaches to deliver their growth aspiration. The programme also needed to fit with wider business activities and consider innovations that linked to the core business growth. The strategic context for the innovation and venture development was considered and case studies from other leading global organisations reviewed.
CHEP asked the Innovation network team to help gain insights into approaches used to collaborate with customers and potential customers to understand common needs such that it can develop new products and services to meet those needs. In addition, CHEP wished to explore approaches to developing standards, as standard specifications suit its business model, but without delaying the launch of new products and services.
DHL asked the Innovation Network to use their tailored programme to learn from the Network's experience of strategic innovation and venturing. The objective was to bring an external perspective, common language and approach to the DHL Global Trade Services (GTS) team responsible for developing and integrating a portfolio of new business ventures adjacent to core transportation and logistics.
E.ON UK is one of the UK’s leading integrated power and gas companies generating and distributing electricity, and retailing power and gas as part of the E.ON group, the world's largest investor-owned power and gas company. E.ON UK is taking seriously its approach to addressing the challenge of providing energy at affordable cost, with the security of supply and minimum environmental impact. To achieve this, it is investing in innovation teams and programmes to identify new technologies and looking to bring these to market to meet current and future needs.
The key objectives of the E.ON programme were:
• To explore the approach leading organisations are taking to the developing ‘communities’ for SES
• To share lessons learned on how the process works inside and outside the organisation
• To identify and develop selected collaboration themes and specific ideas to work on in the next phase.
The key objectives of the GSK Open Innovation Tailored Programme were to:
• Identify high level collaboration opportunities between leading organisations
• Share and discuss the GSK Consumer Healthcare ‘Wants’ for innovation in health products
• Explore common themes of human behaviour, special materials, devices and financial incentives.
The Health Protection Agency asked Corven Networks to use their membership tailored programme to learn from the Networks experience of developing new business opportunities and venturing.
The objective was to bring an external perspective and proven approach to the HPA Centre for Infections team. The deliverable was to provide a prioritised list of business opportunities in the division, detail a number of the key opportunities and recommend an approach to the HPA business development team.
The key objectives of the Tailored Programme were to help the Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) understand opportunities in health and wellbeing in remote communities as part of its P4 initiative. P4 is a term used by health professionals to describe an approach which combines prevention, prediction, personalisation and participation. The programme included understanding the views of major corporations regarding remote health, identifying business opportunities for organisations in the HIE region, and the formats of business models in which they could participate.
The Innovation Programme to California was a result of the request by Network members to gain insights to the current view of technologies and innovation approaches in other leading organisations.
The objectives of the tour were to:
• Gain insight into technologies and methods of US based new businesses and corporate venturers
• Get a view of technology trends
• Provide an update on the VC market and on Corporate Venturing
• Attend the IBF Corporate Venturing and Strategic Investing Conference
• Network with senior executive peers from other leading organisations.
Corven Networks won a competitive tender to support InterTradeIreland in their business planning and skills enhancement of the entrepreneurs and start-up businesses to help develop their business plans and gain funding. The objective was to provide an effective and iterative business planning methodology, workshop material for roundtable kick-off discussions, a full day business planning workshop, a venture capital case study and interactive training session.
The key objectives of the programme were to:
• Identify how organisations determine consumer needs
• Understand the major drivers of consumer demand
• Identify examples of new product formats that are emerging to meet new consumer demands
• Understand the new business models that can deliver these new product formats and the factors that are critical to their success
• Utilise leading Corven Networks thinking on Open Innovation to drive out new approaches
• Create connections between participants that could be progressed after the programme.
The objectives of the JOA™:
• Gain perspectives from other organisations – ‘think in other people’s boxes’
• Provide time to step back and think about the strategic issues
• Develop and challenge business models
• Judge how other organisations perceive your capabilities
• Provide an opportunity to create new joint opportunities.
The objective of this Joint Opportunity Assembly (JOA™) was to bring together executives from leading organisations to address the issues and challenges in the health and wellness space. The expectation of participants was to:
• Gain perspectives from other organisations
• Exchange views on trends and technologies
• Develop and challenge business models
• Judge how other organisations perceive your capabilities
• Unlock the potential from partners
• Provide an opportunity to create new joint opportunities.
The objective of the programme was to enhance Mars’ understanding of Open Innovation and provide examples from other leading organisations that can be applied to Mars products, packaging, raw materials and processes. Specific focus was to be given to the importance of senior management support and the issues around ‘getting started’ – changing the culture to make open innovation successful and systematic in the company.
Rather than assuming that its established products are best, Mars wished to draw on its record of successful innovation to create products that best serve new markets. Mars asked Corven Networks to help gain insights from a variety of industries into approaches used within established Western world products in emerging markets, in particular in Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC).
The key objectives of the McLaren Corporate Collaboration Programme were as follows:
• To identify high level collaboration opportunities between leading organisations
• To share lessons learned on effective collaboration processes
• To effectively develop selected collaboration ideas into the implementation phase.
The key objectives of the corporate connections programme were to:
• Bring together leading global organisations to identify new opportunities
• Support the connection to take ideas through to seed funding by the organisations
• Share lessons learned on effective collaboration processes
• To effectively develop selected collaboration ideas into the implementation phase.
The objective of the programme was to enhance NESTA and the wider business community’s understanding of how innovation and business practices are changing in the current environment. The insights will guide NESTA, government and business approaches to the associated challenges and opportunities.
The objective the Corven Networks Tailored Programme had for Ordnance Survey was to provide insights to OS from leading organisations’ approaches to new product strategy when:
• There are new technologies
• Changing consumer requirements
• Innovative approaches to developing new businesses.
The programme used case studies and examples from other leading organisations.
The objective of this programme was to bring together executives from leading organisations to give a perspective on the customer needs and new business ideas to leading technology capabilities that Philips possess. The expectation of participants was to:
• Gain perspectives from other organisations
• Exchange views, key business issues and requirements
• Develop and challenge new customer needs
• Judge how other organisations perceive your capabilities
• Unlock the potential from partners
• Provide an opportunity to create new joint opportunities.
The objective of the Innovation Network’s programme was to bring the Pistoia Alliance insights from other leading organisations which had experience of similar issues. The programme would support the Board and operations team to develop a more robust and sustainable organisation to deliver more innovation at lower cost to Pistoia, the member organisations and to society with new medical breakthroughs.
Corven Networks provided powerful insights with a speaker from HP who had led the longstanding Trusted Computing Group McLaren Applied Technologies’ speaker provided further new perspectives.
The objective of the programme was to enhance the RB Innovation team’s understanding of how other leading global organisations, which are not direct competitors, are dealing with the challenges of successfully delivering against changing market and customer needs. Key areas of interest included:
• Disruptive change to a particular product or business area, without fundamentally changing the business strategy
• Appealing to senses and emotional aspects rather than the physical product
• Sourcing and embedding next generation technology
• Moving from products to services and solutions.
The objective of Reckitt Benckiser’s tailored programme was to use Corven Networks’ experience and methods to build a toolset aimed at helping individuals and groups within R&D and Marketing, and to challenge assumptions that can block new product and service development. RB wished to remove the self-limiting beliefs that many organisations suffer from, and which can hinder a great idea from creating value for the company.
The objective of the tailored programme was to bring Open Innovation insights and leading corporate contacts to a telematics and healthcare event. This involved a collaboration programme that SEEDA IGT was doing with South East Health Technologies Alliance (SEHTA).
The objective of the programme was to determine the role that the EHN should play in using the principles of Open Innovation to create connections from mid-sized enterprises to other enterprises with a view to generating growth opportunities.
The Technology Strategy Board asked the Innovation Network, and its members, to contribute to a TSB strategic review. The objective of the programme was to share insights with leading organisations on how the TSB can most effectively generate UK business value from exploitation of emerging technologies.
For us the value of the Innovation Network comes from high quality networking learning from other organisations and access to research and thought leadership; thinking beyond the traditional ...” Dr Terry Doyle, Managing Director,
Philips Research UK