Author Description

Innovation is a powerful engine for economic growth. It has created industries, brought down giants and catapulted small firms to market leadership. The ability to locate, seize and exploit an idea involves the whole business. The Innovation 2001 conference examined the many internal and external alliances that are forged during the innovation process. If managed successfully these collaborations should transform concepts into viable business opportunities, ensuring that companies remain one step ahead of their competitors. In 2001 the focus was on collaboration - be it with customers, between different parts of the organization or with other companies. It is increasingly rare for companies to bring new products to market without alliances of some sort, and this conference sought to show how to make the most of these collaborations. The proceedings should be useful to those involved in new product development, technical directors, and research or knowledge managers.