Study Questions in Innovation Management

The topics related to Innovation Management have been studied since long, However still several knowledge gaps are found in the subject, and hence need systematic studies. Some of these topics are concerned with execution of an innovation project, while many topics are relevant for development of a conducive macrosystem for innovations. Some of the major areas where further studies are required, are mentioned below. This list is only an indicative, and by no means can be considered an exhaustive list of study questions.

1. Discovery Driven Innovations:

Usually the commercial entities undertake R&D for solving a real world problem. On the other hand, a vast amount of new discoveries are observed at academic and institutional research laboratories, only to explore and enhance scientific understanding in the specific domain. While the institutional researchers are usually away from the real world problems, the practitioners dealing with real life problems often have a little knowledge of the latest discoveries which can be used as probable anchors to solve the problems. This gap in the problem and the solution domains is turning a significant number of discoveries into SISP (Solution in Search of Problem).Proper innovation management frameworks are the only way to reduce the SISP or even for shaping the SISP into some viable invention.

2. Enabling translational research at academic R&D:

Usually the academic R&D labs have better research infrastructure compared to the industries, because the majority of the public funding for R&D is made via the academic sectors. However, the academic sector has been mostly inclined towards exploratory research because of several practical and legacy factors. For strengthening the translational research in academic R&D environment, several questions need to be addressed, some of which are mentioned as follows

• How to introduce the problem domain considerations at the planning stage of R&D ?
• How to organise translational research, vis a vis the organisational structures in the academic sector?
• How to get desired manpower and keep them motivated under the staffing function of management?
• What must be the control mechanisms of such translational research?

3. Lab-2-Factory scaling up:

Lab2Factory scaling up is an essential step in the Lab2Market journey. A large portion of innovations, specially from institutional labs, fail at the Lab2Factory stage. Relevant techno-commercial frameworks are needed to be developed for Lab2factory scaling up. Some of these frameworks may be technology specific, some may be technology agnostic. But in all cases, these frameworks will have to essentially consider the technical, commercial and human factors of the factory conditions. Contract manufacturing related questions are also needed to be optimally addressed.

4. Innovation Funding:

Some of the pertinent questions are –

• How to draw the FFF funding for innovations?
• How to change the team composition between a funded project?
• How to pivot midway a funded innovation project, if unexpected results are found at R&D or new market information is discovered?
• How to fund an agile development project, whose objectives may be updated during the project?
• How to optimise innovation funding between grant/ debt and equity instruments?

5. Industry backed incubation:

Most of the MSME sector doesn’t have adequate R&D infrastructure and staff. If the MSME sector utilises the support of incubation centres, then a lot of successful new products/ technologies may come-up. But certain matters are needed to be holistically deliberated and strategized before moving to the Industry backed incubation , such as –

• Possible ways for engagement of technical manpower
• Possible ways of management control over the incubation project
• Financial terms
• Confidentiality and IPR
• R&D restricted startups

6. Industry-Academia Interactions:

This has been a holy grail of R&D for decades – wished by all, yet achieved by few. Multiple hurdles are noted during execution. Following are some pertinent study questions related to contract and collaborative research -

• What frameworks of planning, organising, staffing, leading and controlling should be applied in such projects ?
• What should be the optimum legal and financial arrangements in such projects ?
• How to match the working style, perspective, and floating researchers involved in academic research, with the expectation of industries in quality, speed and economy of the projects ?
• What must be the minimum disclosure by the academia, and how to handle the FTO issue, when academia is immuned on base technologies by the Bowler exemptions or equivalent, while the industries are not ?
• How to handle any 'process innovation' at academia for industries ?

7. Consideration of Incubation Centres :

Many basic questions need to be studied in this sector, ranging from the establishing & governance to the operation of incubators. Some such questions are –

• What should be the optimum funding mechanism of incubators ?
• What should be the matrix for evaluation of incubators ?
• Whether incubators should be financially self-sustainable like a PSU, or must be seen as a developmental organisation and considered like cost-centres of government at par with universities and R&D institutions?
• Incubator-Host Institute relationship
• Types and terms of engagement of Human resources at incubators
• What must be the optimum incubatee profile ?
• How to get the best outcome from ideathons/ hackathons etc ?
• How to facilitate incubator portability and multi-incubator support for the innovators/ startups ?

8. Regulatory Considerations:

Though regulatory matters are sacrosanct, their laws are made by humans and are subjected to periodic updations. Hence holistic studies are needed for necessary policy advocacy from the perspectives of innovators. Some such matters are –

• Defining test-marketing and identification of necessary compliance relaxation for the startups to enable easy pivoting, quick test-marketing and product optimisation.
• Developing a standard categorisation framework of startups, to be used in different policy frameworks.
• Easing conduction of necessary experiments in order to obtain compulsory compliance

As stated earlier, these questions are only indicative at the time of writing this article, and not at all exhaustive. Also there may be many matters of innovation management specific to some specific technology domain. The only purpose of this article on behalf of the council is an ignition of the relevant questions in the minds of competent innovation management professionals , so that the community associated with the discipline undertakes deep research and the necessary deliberations & discourse churns out within the community