Sustained Innovation

The UK has outstanding exemplars of innovative organisations and sectors and is investing significantly in its science and skills base to underpin future innovative capacity. However, the demands of competition are both intensifying and diversifying - for example between networks, partnerships and chains as well as individual organisations. In these circumstances, even organisations with an exceptional commitment to innovation have, in effect, to work faster and smarter merely to retain their relative position, let alone enhance it. Research in this area takes account of, and moves beyond, the current evidence.

Conventional corporate practice has largely focused on 'steady state' innovation within the closed framework of the enterprise and developing appropriate ways of organising and managing the process. But significant challenges are also posed by discontinuous innovation where the 'rules of the game' in terms of technologies or markets shift dramatically and create highly fluid conditions. While it might appear that the element of serendipity leading it happens to discontinuous innovation and the boundary-spanning environment in which it happens, make it impossible to institutionalise and manage this type of innovation. AIM's research identifies the cognitive, socio- political as well as technical dimensions and develops strategies, which help to address the related challenges in a corporate context.

Indicative programmes in this research domain include:

Discontinuous Innovation

  • Corporate Venturing
  • Managerial and Organisational Cognitive Capabilities
  • Opportunity Perception in New Business Development
  • Discontinuous Innovation

Building Dynamic Capability

  • Measuring and Enabling Innovative Capabilities
  • Learning as Dynamic Capability for Competitiveness
  • International Knowledge Transfer and Dynamic Capabilities

Networking and Inter-Organisational Innovation

  • Innovation Networks
  • Collaborative Networks and Discontinuous Innovation

Public Policy and Innovation

  • Public Policy and Innovation

For further information relating to the Innovation Projects, please contact the AIM Operations Manager Esme Foster

To view all the AIM Fellows Sustained Innovation projects please view the current list .

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