Abstract
The Future Ready Innovation Tour of Ohio 2026 brought together manufacturing R&D leaders, higher education partners and innovation stakeholders to examine how rapid technological change, workforce shifts and global competition are reshaping the future of research and development. Built around findings from IRI’s Future R&D Capabilities Study, the tour explored the skills, organizational models and ways of working manufacturers will need over the next five to seven years.
Through visits with Energizer, Lubrizol, Honda Americas, Michelman and Kao, along with workshops and experiences hosted with Growth Signals, EY-Nottingham Spirk and Narratize, participants saw how innovation is being applied across R&D labs, testing environments, production floors and consumer insight settings.
The tour reinforced that future-ready R&D will require more than technical expertise alone. Stronger communication, collaboration, business acumen, adaptability, AI fluency and connections across functions, partners and markets will be essential. The tour also launched the next phase of IRI’s work, focused on translating these findings into practical recommendations for building the next generation of R&D teams.
