About Us

About the IRI

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.

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
What We Do
What We Do

Connect. Develop. Inform.
CONNECT

Peer-to-peer exchange in a neutral, noncompetitive setting: member forums, working groups, and our annual conference.

Community Forum

Events

Our Members

Roundtables
DEVELOP

Professional development that builds individual and team innovation capability, from bootcamps to certificates.

i101 Bootcamp

Virtual Workshops

Applied Innovation Certificates Program

Shaping Innovation Leaders

On-Demand Courses
INFORM

Research, benchmarks, and strategic insight on the future of innovation execution and leadership.

Research-Technology Management

Innovation Growth Drivers

Quarterly Trends Analyzer

IRIS, IRI’s AI Helper
Membership
Events

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.

December 2–3, 2026 · Orlando, FL

EVENT CALENDAR

IRI AWARDS
Resource Center

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

Access the premier journal translating academic research into practitioner insights — 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.

IRIS AI

About Us

About the IRI

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.

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
What We Do
What We Do

Connect. Develop. Inform.
CONNECT

Peer-to-peer exchange in a neutral, noncompetitive setting: member forums, working groups, and our annual conference.

Community Forum

Events

Our Members

Roundtables

DEVELOP

Professional development that builds individual and team innovation capability, from bootcamps to certificates.

i101 Bootcamp

Virtual Workshops

Applied Innovation Certificates Program

Shaping Innovation Leaders

On-Demand Courses

INFORM

Research, benchmarks, and strategic insight on the future of innovation execution and leadership.

Research-Technology Management

Innovation Growth Drivers

Quarterly Trends Analyzer

IRIS, IRI’s AI Helper
Membership
Events

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.

December 2–3, 2026 · Orlando, FL

EVENT CALENDAR

IRI AWARDS
Resource Center

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

Access the premier journal translating academic research into practitioner insights — 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.

Digital Transformation Community Thought Leader Interview: Robert Heideman, Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer, A.O. Smith

Jul 22, 2020 Audio Presentation/Podcast Authors: Lee Green, Robert Heideman Topics: Digital Innovation Leading Innovation Organizations