Sunday 23 May 2010
Innovation Education for companies in regional north Queensland
Two Innovation Masterclass workshops were delivered by the AIC in April to provide business managers in regional north Queensland with a structured approach to innovation and to encourage alliances between industry and research facilities.
The first Innovation Masterclass was held in Cairns on 19 April, with the second following in Townsville on 21 April. The interactive workshops consisted of practical exercises designed to assist with developing innovation skills, while also including time for networking and discussion.
The workshops were new initiatives which arose from the success of the Australian Institute for Commercialisation’s long running Ideas2Market series. The workshops were developed by the Australian Institute for Commercialisation (AIC) in order to fulfil a need, identified by Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI), for additional programs within the innovation space.
A variety of topics were covered during the day, including the difference between innovation and inventions, how to assess the feasibility of innovative opportunities, ways of integrating innovation into a business model and methods of managing risk within innovation. Participants were also shown effective ways of forming collaborative alliances between industry and research facilities, and heard guest speakers from local businesses.
Attendees described the workshops asinformative, practical and motivating.Cairns workshop participant Desley Absolon from Cyons House Inc. said he gained “a wealth of current, valid information that I can use immediately in my working environment”, while Gordon Lyle from Serco Sodexo Defence Servicessaid the workshop was “a must for management and staff of any organisation that has a growth culture”.
The Innovation Masterclasses were run in north Queensland as an initiative of the Queensland Government’s Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation in conjunction with AusIndustry.The workshops were delivered by the AIC’s Dr John Kapeleris.
The AIC’s Innovation Masterclass program is a full day workshop thatcan be customised for private organisations to encourage innovation and build skills within your business. To find out more, please contact the Education Manager on 07 3853 5271 or email education@ausicom.com.
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