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April 3 Member Update

April 3, 2023

SZarifi@nam.org

2023 IRI Annual Conference | May 22-25 | Philadelphia, PA

4/3/2023

Annual Conference

Tech Trek Field Trips at the 2023 Annual Conference on May 25

IRI is excited to bring back our Annual Conference Tech Treks! These morning field trips will be on Thursday, May 25 and are included in all conference registrations. All Tech Treks require pre-registrations and seating is limited to 25-30 spots per field trip.

There will be four field trips to choose from (two more locations will be announced in early April):

DuPont Wilmington
Global Innovation Center
Campbell Soup Headquarters

Sign-up information will be provided to conference registrants in mid-April, so if you have not yet registered to join in Philadelphia, please do so very soon. Please contact Mallory Smith for more information.

Visit our website to view the agenda, register, and book your hotel.

Only a few more weeks until the Shaping Innovations Leaders program!

They understand the importance of seeing the world from outside their walls. Participants learn from their peers and competitors as much as from the world leading faculty. Case studies and group work are primary value providers from this course at the highest ranked business school in the world when it comes to developing leadership and this course takes the best of the best to train your high potentials as leaders, while teaching them how to communicate and work with other business functions at your company. It’s like a "mini-MBA" program for rising stars in the innovation world.

Team members acquire the skills needed to successfully manage large projects.
They learn the same vocabulary, needs and constraints as other "MBAs" in the organization.
More new products make it to market because my managers learn how to communicate across the organization.
The course brings together an impressive group of up-and-coming innovators to exchange ideas and gain fresh perspective.
The networks formed with peers last a lifetime.
Kellogg’s top-notch instructors cover topics ranging from marketing, legal, production, finance and more.

Enroll Now

April 20, 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. EST

IRI TRACK Workshop: Business Models Innovation in Practice

Innovative new concepts often fail in established companies because they do not fit the dominant business model of the corporation. An attempt to force the new concept into the existing business model leads to two problems. On the one hand, the business model may not capture sufficient value for the business to be profitable, so an otherwise viable concept is abandoned. On the other hand, the business model may work but capture little of the value created, leaving money on the table. There can, in fact, be as much as a 5X difference in value capture for different business models delivering the same essential value proposition. This workshop seeks to provide participants with the basic tools for business model innovation.

The workshop will focus on the pragmatics of identifying and building a new business model in a corporate context. It will start by defining business models in a way that helps participants understand what makes each work. We will introduce several business model archetypes, with a focus on those that are most appropriate to industrial companies. For each, we will discuss the model, who uses it today, why it works, and the key assumptions underlying its effectiveness. We will then turn to how to develop, test, and introduce a new business model, using an approach for doing business model innovation called the Business Model Pyramid. We will conclude by discussing the challenges of doing business model innovation in large companies and how to build internal support for your business.

The workshop will feature practical illustrations based on the real-world experiences of the instructor. It will include hands-on break-out sessions that will give participants confidence in applying the concepts. Upon completion, participants will be able to identify new business model options for their innovative concepts, assess them, and begin to do the work to bring a new concept to market.

April 26, 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. EST

IRI TRACK Workshop: Managing Innovative People

Innovative new concepts often fail in established companies because they do not fit the dominant business model of the corporation. An attempt to force the new concept into the existing business model leads to two problems. On the one hand, the business model may not capture sufficient value for the business to be profitable, so an otherwise viable concept is abandoned. On the other hand, the business model may work but capture little of the value created, leaving money on the table. There can, in fact, be as much as a 5X difference in value capture for different business models delivering the same essential value proposition. This workshop seeks to provide participants with the basic tools for business model innovation.

The workshop will focus on the pragmatics of identifying and building a new business model in a corporate context. It will start by defining business models in a way that helps participants understand what makes each work. We will introduce several business model archetypes, with a focus on those that are most appropriate to industrial companies. For each, we will discuss the model, who uses it today, why it works, and the key assumptions underlying its effectiveness. We will then turn to how to develop, test, and introduce a new business model, using an approach for doing business model innovation called the Business Model Pyramid. We will conclude by discussing the challenges of doing business model innovation in large companies and how to build internal support for your business.

The workshop will feature practical illustrations based on the real-world experiences of the instructor. It will include hands-on break-out sessions that will give participants confidence in applying the concepts. Upon completion, participants will be able to identify new business model options for their innovative concepts, assess them, and begin to do the work to bring a new concept to market.

May 17, 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. EST

IRI TRACK Workshop: Virtual i101 Bootcamp: Part 1

The IRI Virtual i101 course is designed to provide an introduction to topics of managing corporate innovation. In it, the participants will learn both the essential tools for managing innovation and how to deal with organizational issues. We will be holding a two-part course on May 17th and May 19th.

Part 1 of the course will cover traditional topics, such as the Stage-Gate methodology and Voice of the Customer as well as more contemporary topics such as design, risk management, open innovation, and lean startup. Note, that while the two parts of this course have some themes in common, neither is required for the other, and they can be taken independently.

May 19, 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. EST

IRI TRACK Workshop: Virtual i101 Bootcamp: Part 2

The IRI Virtual i101 course is designed to provide an introduction to topics of managing corporate innovation. In it, the participants will learn both the essential tools for managing innovation and how to deal with organizational issues. We will be holding a two-part course on May 17th and May 19th.

Part 2 of the course will explore the challenges of leading innovation as a new manager, including how to build support for your ideas, how to manage creative people, how to overcome organization resistance, and portfolio management. Both parts will feature practical illustrations based on the real-world experiences of the instructors. The course will present participants with a broader perspective on innovation and help them to apply this newly acquired knowledge quickly in order to create more value for their organizations. Note, that while the two parts of this course have some themes in common, neither is required for the other, and they can be taken independently.

May 19, 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. EST

RTM Lunch and Learn: Do traditional product companies need to shift their patent strategy for digital products and services?

Paul Germeraad, a leading international IP expert, argues that they do.

Learn why at an RTM Lunch & Learn on Friday, April 14. Paul will give a brief presentation about why companies need an IP strategy that includes freedom-to-operate and freedom-of-action. He will explain why using this approach will enable traditional product companies to create a cost-effective, competitive advantage for both their core hardware and new digital/software business lines. Paul will answer participants’ questions in a Q&A following his presentation.

About Paul:
Paul is editor of BusinessInnovationManagement.com, a best innovation and IP practices resource. During his career, he was president of Intellectual Assets, Inc., COO of Aurigin Systems, vice president of Corporate Research at Avery Dennison Corporation. He also held various R&D management positions at James River and Raychem Corporations. Paul has a BA from UCSD, a PhD in chemistry from UCI and an LLB degree from La Salle Extension University. He is past board chairman of the Industrial Research Institute (IRI’s predecessor), trustee for the Licensing Executives Society, and listed by IAM as one of the world’s 300 leading IP strategists. He holds more than 15 US patents, 24 foreign counterparts, is contributing author to two books, and has written more than two dozen articles.

About the paper:
Lunch & Learn registrants will receive a copy of the paper, "Product Companies Must Shift Patent Strategy as Inventions Go Digital," which was published in RTM Volume 66, Issue 2.

IRI PILOT Research Grant

IRI is calling for applications for the IRI Funding Scheme – a small grant (up to $3k) to conduct a research project with us and our members. IRI’s goal is to get subject matter experts working with our members on well thought out, organized projects that will address the top challenges our members face. There will be a limited number of projects funded this year, and priority will be given to projects that focus on our hot topics list. The submission deadline for the application is April 17. The proposal application, hot topics list, and evaluation criteria are all available on our website. Please contact Matt Dorocak with any questions regarding the program.

Contact Matt Dorocak

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