About the IRI

Innovation Research Interchange (formerly the Industrial Research Institute) is an inclusive membership organization with nearly one hundred global members in private-sector companies and federally funded laboratories.

The Innovation Research
Interchange Board of Advisors comprises senior executives at leading manufacturing and research organizations around the world.

BOARD OF EDITORS

oUR STAFF

NEWS AND PRESS RELEASES

Resource Center

IRI RESOURCE CENTER

Dive into IRI's full library — RTM articles, reports, case studies, podcasts, and community forum surveys, all searchable by topic, content type, and year.

COMMUNITY FORUM SURVEYS

Benchmark your practices against the field — short member surveys capture how innovation leaders are handling AI, IP, sustainability, and day-to-day R&D decisions.

ON-DEMAND COURSES

Sharpen your innovation and R&D skills on your own schedule with self-paced courses, recorded workshops, and curated learning paths built for every career stage.

RESEARCH-TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT

Read IRI's peer-reviewed journal — six issues a year of practitioner-grounded research on innovation management, R&D strategy, IP, and emerging technology.

IRI PODCASTS

Tune in as innovation leaders share candid takes on AI, sustainability, workforce strategy, and the practices reshaping how corporate R&D gets done.

About the IRI

ABOUT THE IRI

BOARD OF ADVISORS

The Innovation Research
Interchange Board of Advisors comprises senior executives at leading manufacturing and research organizations around the world.

BOARD OF EDITORS

oUR STAFF

NEWS AND PRESS RELEASES

Events

INNOVATORS SUMMIT

Join hundreds of innovation leaders in Cleveland May 17 - 19, 2027, for IRI's flagship three-day event on AI, sustainability, workforce, and fueling the innovation pipeline.

INNOVATING THE FUTURE

A senior-leader forum for making sense of what's coming next — geopolitics, technology, workforce, markets — and deciding how to respond.

EVENT CALENDAR

IRI AWARDS

Resource Center

IRI RESOURCE CENTER

Dive into IRI's full library — RTM articles, reports, case studies, podcasts, and community forum surveys, all searchable by topic, content type, and year.

COMMUNITY FORUM SURVEYS

Benchmark your practices against the field — short member surveys capture how innovation leaders are handling AI, IP, sustainability, and day-to-day R&D decisions.

ON-DEMAND COURSES

Sharpen your innovation and R&D skills on your own schedule with self-paced courses, recorded workshops, and curated learning paths built for every career stage.

RESEARCH-TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT

Read IRI's peer-reviewed journal — six issues a year of practitioner-grounded research on innovation management, R&D strategy, IP, and emerging technology.

IRI PODCASTS

Tune in as innovation leaders share candid takes on AI, sustainability, workforce strategy, and the practices reshaping how corporate R&D gets done.

Innovation Growth Drivers

Stay on the Leading Edge of Innovation Management

Each year, our organization identifies key innovation growth drivers, reflecting the most relevant topics for our work. The selection process begins in May at the Innovators Summit, where members discuss emerging trends and technological breakthroughs. Insights from these discussions as well as member feedback, key themes from IRI’s Quarterly Trends Analyzer, and distilled information from member company annual reports are presented to the Board of Advisors, who, in a facilitated session, draft the following year’s themes. Members then provide feedback on the draft themes via check in calls and surveys and the Board ratifies the final version in October. This process ensures our focus remains aligned with industry advancements, fostering continuous innovation and growth

“IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT BUSINESS YOU’RE IN, THE CHALLENGES SEEM TO BE THE SAME FOR INNOVATION. THE IRI’S ANNUAL SELECTION OF INNOVATION GROWTH DRIVERS DEFINES THOSE CHALLENGES AS WELL AS ASPIRATIONS. THEY HELP US FOCUS, EXCHANGE IDEAS AND BEST PRACTICES, LEARN FROM EACH OTHER, AND IMPROVE OUR ORGANIZATIONS.”

R&D Director

global chemical company

Driving the innovation pipeline for impact

Breaking siloes to accelerate the pipeline
Getting the right mix of projects – and measuring it
Powering growth through open and co-innovation
Scaling from platform innovations

EXPLORE

Building a future-ready workforce

Developing cross-functional teams that thrive with AI and disruption
Next generation upskilling, knowledge capture and distribution

EXPLORE

Harnessing AI for real-world impact

AI as an innovation accelerant
Building talent, structure, and infrastructure foundations
Unlocking the potential of agentic AI

EXPLORE

Creating value through sustainability

Designing sustainability through the whole life cycle of a product
Navigating regulatory shifts and uncertainty

EXPLORE

Thriving amid disruption

Anticipating transformation within industry and beyond
Balancing bold innovation with the need for certainty

EXPLORE

Lean In to Our Powerful Community

Ready to connect and collaborate with innovation experts and peers on these critical issues
and more? Visit iriweb.org/member-benefits to explore IRI membership. Already a member?
Email iri@nam.org, to get help finding the IRI resources that will most benefit
your business this year.

“IRI MEMBERS DEFINE FOCUS POINTS FOR THE YEAR. THAT MEANS THE CONTENT AND EVENTS ALWAYS HAVE INSIGHTS AND TOOLS THAT ARE RELEVANT TO ME, AND THE PEOPLE I ENCOUNTER ARE DEALING WITH THE SAME ISSUES I’M DEALING WITH.”

VP of Innovation

large construction products company

“THE IRI’S CRITICAL ISSUES AGENDA REALLY SETS THEM APART FROM OTHER PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS. I CAN KNOW INSTANTLY THAT CONVERSATIONS WILL BE MORE IN-DEPTH, THE PEOPLE I MEET ARE FACING SIMILAR CHALLENGES, AND WE’RE ALL WORKING TOWARDS COMMON GOALS TO BETTER OUR BUSINESSES AND THE INDUSTRY.”