Management of Innovation

Innovations are increasingly the result of cross-fertilisation of different technologies originating from diverse sectors and of processes which one firm cannot easily master by itself. New information technology helps collaboration between different companies Finally, it is becoming possible, if not necessary, to launch a product in the global marketplace, and it is often essential to be the first to do so. In order to cope with these upheavals, firms are forming multiple alliances, some of which, until recently, would have been considered unorthodox. They are setting up structures to make projects which sometimes make it difficult to accumulate knowledge and expertise. Those in charge of technological development often find themselves confused in the face of these sudden changes, and grope in the dark before discovering suitable techniques. Public authorities have also noticed the growing inadequacy of their intervention. The aim of the seminar, which was created in 1997 in collaboration with the École des mines de Paris, is to enable managers in charge of R&D and researchers specialising in technology management to discuss these issues, to study real problems to do with the implementation of new methods and their effects, and to benefit from each other’s experiences in order to develop their skills as a group.