2013 Press Releases

How can companies out-innovate their rivals?

29 Aug 2013
Innovation is essential to the success of business Image: Andrew Bradley

Professor Oliver Gassmann, St Gallen University, Switzerland will give a public lecture on innovation at UCC on 4th September.

Innovation is an essential element for business development and success, but most innovations fail.

Professor Gassmann, who has conducted extensive research into what the success factors of innovation are, says that companies can benefit from learning the do’s and don’ts of innovation. “All organisations need to innovate and there is significant scope for cross-industry learning to enable such organisations to enhance their innovation capability”.

Professor Gassmann will share his insight into how businesses can successfully innovate at the InterTradeIreland lecture at University College Cork. The lecture is free to attend and will take place in Boole 2, University College Cork at 18.45 on Wednesday 4th September. At the lecture, entitled Secrets of Innovation and the €100 Million Question, Professor Gassmann will address the ways that companies can help ensure their innovative developments are successful.

Professor Gassmann has been Professor for Innovation Technology and Innovation Management at the University of St Gallen since 2002. He has published over 300 publications and several books on innovation, including Profiting from Innovation in China in December 2012. In the last ten years he consulted several DAX companies on their growth and innovation strategies, and in 2009 was identified as one of the top 50 ranking researchers by the International Association for Management Technology.

Dr Lawrence Dooley, University College Cork, said “The visit of Professor Gassmann provides the opportunity for regional businesses to interact with one of the world leaders in the area of open innovation and to hear how companies such as Nestle, 3M and Lego have developed their innovative capability to sustain growth and competitive advantage.”

The lecture is part of the InterTradeIreland All-Island Innovation Programme, which is delivered in partnership with Queen’s University, University College Dublin, NUI Galway and University College Cork. The programme aims to promote and encourage innovation across the island through a series of free innovation lectures, seminars and master classes.

Aidan Gough, Strategy and Policy Director at InterTradeIreland, said “Innovation is itself a process or capability that can be learned, improved and embedded in a business, often with transformative results.  In a series of master classes and lectures Prof Gassmann will address in a very practical manner how businesses can use techniques that will improve their innovative output and business performance.”

 All are welcome to register to attend, and this event is free of charge. Register online at www.uccinnovation2013.eventzilla.net

University College Cork

Coláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh

College Road, Cork T12 K8AF

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