Workshop: Innovation 101: Essential Tools in Managing Innovation

Event Type: Workshop
Location: Online

Date/Time: 06/30/2026

11 am - 2 pm

Innovation, Managing Emerging Technologies

This intensive workshop will cover the traditional pillars of innovation and how they are practiced and applied in R&D. We will also discuss how AI has begun to change and transform these pillars. By the end of the workshop, you will gain a solid foundation in the use of proven frameworks at the forefront of innovation practice.

Here’s what you can expect to master:

Understand the essence of innovation and its pivotal role in driving business success.

Uncover the secrets of practical design thinking and harness the power of customer insights to fuel your innovation process.

Learn how to cultivate a culture of creativity, foster idea generation, and harness the collective intelligence of open innovation ecosystems.

Explore established Stage-Gate processes alongside agile methodologies, discovering how to integrate them for effective innovation management.

Understand the principles of the lean startup methodology, empowering you to iterate quickly, validate hypotheses, and drive efficient resource allocation.

Each of these discussions will include discussion of the use of advanced AI models to improve and accelerate innovation.

Course Outline:

Innovation in practice

Design methods and Customer Insight

Idea Generation and Open Innovation

Stage-Gate and Agile systems

Lean Startup

AI in innovation

Who should take this workshop?

The course is designed for both researchers who have recently assumed an innovation leadership role and for individual contributors who seek to lead an innovation team in the future. The ideal participant will have at least three years of corporate R&D experience. This course can be viewed as a springboard to your professional advancement.

IRI members can earn a certificate of completion by completing this workshop and a short follow-on activity that highlights how they plan to apply their learning.

Registration Fees:

IRI Members: $395
Non Members: $495

Each IRI member company has two complimentary passes for this event.

Get Your Member Comp Code

Due to limited seating, we request that you cancel at least 48 hours before a scheduled class. This gives us the opportunity to fill the class. However, if you do not cancel prior to the 48 hours, you will lose the payment for the class.

All IRI events are broadcast in Eastern Standard Time

Jim Euchner

Partner

Outside Insight Consulting, LLC

Jim Euchner is Visiting Professor at Aston Business School (UK) and Editor in Chief of Research-Technology Management, a peer-reviewed journal for practitioners of innovation, technology and research management. He was previously Vice President of Global Innovation at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, where he led the development of new businesses and helped launch four businesses on three continents. Prior to his work at Goodyear, Jim held positions as Vice President of Growth Strategy and Innovation at Pitney Bowes, Inc. and Vice President, Network Systems Advanced Technology at Bell Atlantic (now Verizon). Jim has worked in the field of intelligent systems for over 25 years. In his consulting practice, he helps companies to implement businesses enabled by emerging technologies, including AI, the Internet of Things (IoT), automation, and predictive analytics. He helps companies to move quickly and in a disciplined way from concept to cash. Areas of focus include the use of lean startup approaches in large organizations, business model innovation, and the challenges manufacturers confront in moving to services-led business models. Jim is industry co-chair of the Aston Advanced Services Partnership and past member of the Scientific Advisory Council for the Nissan Autonomous Vehicle program. He is also a co-founder of the MIT Innovation Laboratory, a consortium to nurture innovation in organizations. Jim has published and spoken extensively on innovation and technology management. His google scholar page can be found at http://tinyurl.com/google-scholar-JimEuchner Jim received his Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University in mechanical and aerospace engineering and his Master of Science degree from Princeton University, where he was a Guggenheim Fellow. He also holds an MBA from Southern Methodist University. He has received several awards for his work in AI, including two selections as Innovative Applications of AI, the Carnegie Mellon University/AMS Award for Managing Information Systems, and the Franz Edelman Award (finalist).