Innovation and Entrepreneurship Group
Encyclopedia
The Innovation and Entrepreneurship Group (I&E Group) is the largest of four research groups at Imperial College Business School and is globally leading in its field. It is an interdisciplinary team of academics, led by Professor David Gann, linking Imperial College Business School with the faculties of Engineering, Natural Sciences and Medicine within Imperial College London
, as well with numerous external academic institutions and industrial leaders.
At the heart of the Group is the Innovation Studies Centre (ISC) funded for ten years by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
(EPSRC), to conduct research on the innovation process, from knowledge creation to commercialisation. The ISC was established in 2003 and encompasses the core research themes of the Group - Open and Distributed Innovation, Business Model Innovation, Systems, Services and Design, and Diffusion of Innovation. The Centre collaborates with internationally leading academic institutions in the UK and overseas and works with world class firms such as GSK
, IBM
, Arup
, Laing O'Rourke
, CSC
and BP
, disseminating its findings widely.
The I&E Group has two additional research themes, Strategic Entrepreneurship and Inclusive Innovation, not funded by the central EPSRC grant. As well as the core research projects, the Group has also attracted funding to establish a number of related Centres to carry out research into association innovation and entrepreneurship subjects. Finally the Group runs an extensive events and conference programme to disseminate the work of the Group to the widest possible audience.
and Imperial’s Faculty of Engineering. Design London, headed by Dr NIck Leon, brings together the disciplines of design, engineering, technology and business to address the challenges of intensifying innovation processes. Design London has placed the Group at the forefront of activities that incorporate design and science to create radical new approaches to design-led innovation.
“Great business advances are a mix of design, technology and entrepreneurial activity – which is why Design London, from the brilliant minds of the RCA and Imperial College, is such an exciting prospect.”
Sir James Dyson
, British Industrial Designer
Design London is funded through grants from the Higher Education Funding Council of England (HEFCE) and the National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts
(NESTA). Its strategic partners include the London Development Agency
(LDA), the Design Council
and the Science Museum
.
, entrepreneurship
and design
. Research on entrepreneurship, technology venturing and commercialisation is led jointly by Professor Erkko Autio who holds the QinetiQ
Chair, and Professor Bart Clarysse. Working in close collaboration with Imperial Innovations
, research focuses on the strategies deployed for rapid growth by high tech start-ups, on the venturing and acquisition activities and spin-out strategies of large companies, as well as mechanisms for commercialising technology developed in engineering and physical sciences.
, the late Indian Prime Minister and Imperial College alumnus, the Centre provides channels of knowledge and exchange between India and its global partners by effective integration of research and education. It also offers a corporate connections programme for Indian and UK executives, senior management and researchers.
Imperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
, as well with numerous external academic institutions and industrial leaders.
At the heart of the Group is the Innovation Studies Centre (ISC) funded for ten years by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council is a British Research Council that provides government funding for grants to undertake research and postgraduate degrees in engineering and the physical sciences , mainly to universities in the United Kingdom...
(EPSRC), to conduct research on the innovation process, from knowledge creation to commercialisation. The ISC was established in 2003 and encompasses the core research themes of the Group - Open and Distributed Innovation, Business Model Innovation, Systems, Services and Design, and Diffusion of Innovation. The Centre collaborates with internationally leading academic institutions in the UK and overseas and works with world class firms such as GSK
GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline plc is a global pharmaceutical, biologics, vaccines and consumer healthcare company headquartered in London, United Kingdom...
, IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
, Arup
Arup
Arup is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom which provides engineering, design, planning, project management and consulting services for all aspects of the built environment. The firm is present in Africa, the Americas, Australasia, East Asia, Europe and the...
, Laing O'Rourke
Laing O'Rourke
Laing O'Rourke is a multinational construction company headquartered in Dartford, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1978....
, CSC
Computer Sciences Corporation
Computer Sciences Corporation is an American information technology and business services company headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, USA...
and BP
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
, disseminating its findings widely.
The I&E Group has two additional research themes, Strategic Entrepreneurship and Inclusive Innovation, not funded by the central EPSRC grant. As well as the core research projects, the Group has also attracted funding to establish a number of related Centres to carry out research into association innovation and entrepreneurship subjects. Finally the Group runs an extensive events and conference programme to disseminate the work of the Group to the widest possible audience.
Research Themes
The Group’s activities fall into six key research themes:Open and Distributed Innovation
Led by Professor Ammon Salter. The purpose of this theme is to develop new knowledge and inform practice about open and distributed innovation. Developing and commercialising an innovation requires the coordination and integration of knowledge from many different sources and networks. Increasingly, innovators rely on external knowledge to complement and enrich their own expertise.Business Model Innovation
Led by Dr Markus Perkmann, the research explores various questions regarding such business model innovation.What enables organisations to devise new business models and what are the sources, and consequences, of business model innovation? Current work focuses specifically on the low-carbon energy sector, which provides an ideal setting to investigate the ways organisations experiement with new ways of deploying energy technologies, as well as generating and consuming energy.Systems, Services and Design
Led by Dr Andrew Davies, this Theme examines the design, integration and operation of complex systems, particularly in the infrastructure industries (e.g. energy, water, roads and urban environments). Increasingly, organisations are providing systems and services as 'smart' integrated solutions to improve long-term operational performance and sustainability of outcomes.Diffusion of Innovation
Led by Professor Erkko Autio, Diffusion of Innovation conducts research on innovation and technology commercialisation strategies in platform and ecosystem contexts. The Theme also undetakes research on determinants of new venture growth in technology-intensive business sectorsStrategic Entrepreneurship
Led by Professor Bart Clarysse The content of this theme is in development.Inclusive Innovation
Led by Professor Gerry George. The content of this theme is in development.Research Centres
In addition to the core research themes, the I&E Group has attracted funding to establish a number of high-profile centres to examine specific elements of the innovation and entrepreneurship process:Design London
A collaboration between Imperial College Business School, the Royal College of ArtRoyal College of Art
The Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...
and Imperial’s Faculty of Engineering. Design London, headed by Dr NIck Leon, brings together the disciplines of design, engineering, technology and business to address the challenges of intensifying innovation processes. Design London has placed the Group at the forefront of activities that incorporate design and science to create radical new approaches to design-led innovation.
“Great business advances are a mix of design, technology and entrepreneurial activity – which is why Design London, from the brilliant minds of the RCA and Imperial College, is such an exciting prospect.”
Sir James Dyson
James Dyson
Sir James Dyson is a British industrial designer and founder of the Dyson company.He is best known as the inventor of the Dual Cyclone bagless vacuum cleaner, which works on the principle of cyclonic separation. His net worth in 2011 was said to be £1.45 billion.-Early life:Dyson was born in...
, British Industrial Designer
Design London is funded through grants from the Higher Education Funding Council of England (HEFCE) and the National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts
NESTA
The National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts is an independent endowment in the United Kingdom established by an Act of Parliament in 1998....
(NESTA). Its strategic partners include the London Development Agency
London Development Agency
The London Development Agency is the Regional Development Agency for Greater London, England. It is a functional body of the Greater London Authority...
(LDA), the Design Council
Design Council
The Design Council is a United Kingdom non-departmental public body incorporated by Royal Charter and registered as a charity.Registered charity number 272099.- In the beginning :The Design Council started in 1944 as the Council of Industrial Design...
and the Science Museum
Science museum
A science museum or a science centre is a museum devoted primarily to science. Older science museums tended to concentrate on static displays of objects related to natural history, paleontology, geology, industry and industrial machinery, etc. Modern trends in museology have broadened the range of...
.
The UK Innovation Research Centre (UK~IRC)
The UK~IRC, launched in 2009, is a five year collaboration with the University of Cambridge to advance understanding of innovation policy and practice. The UK~IRC is co-funded by the Engineering and Social Sciences Research Council (ESRC), National Endowement for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA), the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS), and the Technology Strategy Board (TSB). The Centre comprises 4 research projects and a Knowledge Hub to engage with policy and practice communities. It is led by Professor Alan Hughes at the University of Cambridge and Professor Ammon Salter at Imperial College London.Entrepreneurship Hub and QinetiQ Chair in Technology Transfer
Through its Entrepreneurship Hub, the Group translates new insights developed by the academic community into practical tools and guidelines for entrepreneurs and managers active in the areas of innovationInnovation
Innovation is the creation of better or more effective products, processes, technologies, or ideas that are accepted by markets, governments, and society...
, entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship is the act of being an entrepreneur, which can be defined as "one who undertakes innovations, finance and business acumen in an effort to transform innovations into economic goods". This may result in new organizations or may be part of revitalizing mature organizations in response...
and design
Design
Design as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
. Research on entrepreneurship, technology venturing and commercialisation is led jointly by Professor Erkko Autio who holds the QinetiQ
QinetiQ
Qinetiq is a British global defence technology company, formed from the greater part of the former UK government agency, Defence Evaluation and Research Agency , when it was split up in June 2001...
Chair, and Professor Bart Clarysse. Working in close collaboration with Imperial Innovations
Imperial Innovations
Imperial Innovations is a British technology transfer and commercialisation company. The company was founded in 1986 and its ordinary shares admitted to trading on the Alternative Investment Market of London Stock Exchange plc in July 2006, raising £25 million at an offer price of 365p and £1...
, research focuses on the strategies deployed for rapid growth by high tech start-ups, on the venturing and acquisition activities and spin-out strategies of large companies, as well as mechanisms for commercialising technology developed in engineering and physical sciences.
The Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Led by Professor Gerry George, the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship provides a unique vehicle for corporate sector engagement, acting as the point of reference between India and its global collaborators. Named after Rajiv GandhiRajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Ratna Gandhi was the sixth Prime Minister of India . He took office after his mother's assassination on 31 October 1984; he himself was assassinated on 21 May 1991. He became the youngest Prime Minister of India when he took office at the age of 40.Rajiv Gandhi was the elder son of Indira...
, the late Indian Prime Minister and Imperial College alumnus, the Centre provides channels of knowledge and exchange between India and its global partners by effective integration of research and education. It also offers a corporate connections programme for Indian and UK executives, senior management and researchers.