1. 1 Practices of Modern Engineering Add Students’ comments on Innovation http://rotorlab.tamu.edu/me489 Luis San Andres Mast-Childs Tribology Professor

2. 2 Comments on innovation Does rigorous innovation actually works?? Can innovation be forced? Is forced innovation better that innovation that comes from inspiration? a)DO not confuse INNOVATION with either INVENTION or INSPIRATION b)Inspiration does NOT come from thin air. “ Arousal of the mind to special unusual activity or creativity”. INVENTION draws from experience, curiosity, and insight. INNOVATION is creation (a new device or process) resulting from study and experimentation Definitions taken from Dictionary (wordweb)

3. 3 Comments on innovation Innovation can be trained; what kind of training do we need to become more INNOVATIVE? How do we cultivate innovation/creativity? Is it an innate talent? “innovation is a way of seeing things that mere mortals cannot.” Does this mean it is an inborn ability? INNOVATION is an ACQUIRED TRAIT (not inborn) that can be taught, nurtured and spurred. INNOVATION = Invention + Realization (market) follows EXPERIENCE and PRACTICE Qualities of INNOVATION 1.VALUE creation 2.ENABLES competitive advantage 3.MOVES into practice to FOSTER NEW products / services

4. 4 Comments on innovation Only if obtaining license rights to use prior art (patent). Most cases license your innovation to others (best if your company is small). If an innovation is based on an invention patented by someone else, can we still market it? Rather than selling ideas to your bosses, is if better to use it for your own and develop it? ??? – Question/comment not understood. If innovation is developed with company resources/time and lies within realm of expertise for which you were hired for then IDEA IS NOT Yours to “SELL”.

5. 5 Comments on innovation What happens once a University successfully invents via research a product? Does the Univ. sell the knowledge to companies for commercialization or do they freely disseminate the knowledge for education purposes or further development? A public University CAN NOT SELL TECHNOLOGY or INNOVATION (it negates its educational charter or its public purpose) All research universities have an Office of Technology Transfer and Commercialization. The Univ. model is to LICENSE RIGHT to USE technology (and hence receive royalties); or if developed with funds from a company, to GRANT EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS to USE. The model protects inventor & University by KEEPING ownership and allowing to search for improvements if + funding is available. Nowadays, University research is a BUSINESS. As such, it must be profitable (no freebies).

6. 6 Innovation in Universities Before nanotechnology can transform industries such as energy or biotech, its innovations have to be commercialized Commercializing science is like commercializing any other good or service. Once a new idea or solution to a problem is recognized, that invention’s viability must be researched and protected either with patents or secrecy. The two biggest barriers to turning university discoveries into commercialized ideas are infrastructure and business development. ASME Magazine, July 2009, Nano-entrepreneurship Valerie Moore, Nano-world Headquarters

7. 7 Innovation in Universities Infrastructure is perhaps the greatest hurdle to commercializing high-tech inventions. Research and development requires laboratory space and expensive scientific equipment. In most cases, the research, because of IP issues, must be done outside of university laboratories. In an effort to clear this hurdle, off-campus incubators or accelerators are being established to facilitate access to laboratory space, and universities are increasingly offering shared equipment programs for nominal user fees. But the need for these sorts of relationships is still larger than the supply. ASME Magazine, July 2009, Nano-entrepreneurship Valerie Moore, Nano-world Headquarters

8. 8 Comments on innovation All are important: satisfy, maintain and create Yes, a company can sue another for using its name (trade mark) w/o permission. A consumer can also sue for being deceived. The problem is unfair competition When it comes to creating a product, what is more important? Creating a need or satisfying a need? Can Apple sue a company that is selling the iphone® look alike for copying the outer appearance of the iphone®; as it appears it is legal to sell these imitations. Similarly, is it legal to sell an imitation art piece?

9. 9 Comments on innovation Innovation has always been important, not only in engineering. Eng. Innovation will allow you to remain competitive in a fast pace ever-changing world. Talk to your academic advisor (mentor). The DCC must maximize benefits by recruiting first rated talent. Later on benefits will cascade to others. You have choices – exercise them! In education, National University of Singapore (NUS) enhances innovation opportunities by implementing a design-centric curriculum (DCC). … BUT (another student) If Innovation is going to be important in our future jobs, why isn’t NUS offering the Design Centric Curriculum to every one?

10. 10 More comments How to be more creative? How can one train his creativity? How do we materialize our innovations? How innovation is a management process? What defines disruptive innovation? What factors determine the success of disruptive innovation? How to do a good elevator speech? What are some other indispensable qualities of engineering What is the difference b/w science and physics?............. How is it that much of the imitation products in China are allowed to be sold without facing prosecution by the law: SAMSUNG and SAMSVNG cell phones.

11. 11 More resources http://www.asme.org Innovation is difficult. Creating new products is something everyone must do, how anyone succeed?.. Despite the challenges and financial risks, almost every company is engaged in this activity. Why? Because the potential returns are worth the gamble. How to: TEAM DESIGN and NOT Design Teams DIRTT = "Doing It Right This Time.“ Design & production must meet together The path to innovation Some companies have found a way to reach an elusive goal. Uli Mahle, vice president of marketing at CoCreate Software, Sindelfingen, Germany ASME Magazine, September 2007 READ ME