Doing more with less: Innovation under constraints

One-day seminar, Tuesday 2 June 2009, Cambridge

iCalendar Entry

The current economic climate does not obviously favour innovation: company budgets are tight, resources are spread more thinly and investor confidence and customer demand are down. Faced with such challenges, investing in the future seems of little importance compared to addressing the immediate problems of today. Yet evidence suggests that investing in your business is just as important in times of stress and from these economic downturns successful firms can emerge stronger and more competitive than ever before. How do they manage this; how can firms do more with less?

In this one day seminar, outputs from recent research by the Centre for Technology Management and industrial case studies will illustrate how firms can succeed, even under adverse economic conditions. In particular, the seminar addresses:

• The constraints to innovation: how obstacles can be turned into opportunities
• The threat of competitors: meeting the challenge of disruptive technology
• Developing breakthrough innovations through new organisational forms
• Working with customers: how technology consultancies facilitate innovation

Programme

• 09.30 Registration and refreshments
• 10.30 Welcome, David Probert, Head, Centre for Technology Management, IfM
• Regenerating large firms: developing new business models
  Simon Ford, Centre for Technology Management, IfM; Tony Sidwell, British Sugar.
• 11.15 Break
• 11.30 Growth through adversity: the Cambridge phenomenon and environmental ventures
  Elizabeth Garnsey, Centre for Technology Management, IfM; Eric Mayes, Cambridge Display Technology.
• 12.45 Lunch
• 13.45 Letting others do the work: technology consultants and intermediaries
  Erik Stam, Centre for Technology Management, IfM; Jeremy Klein, Sagentia
• 15.00 Break
• 15.15 Discussion groups
• 16.00 Feedback discussion
• 16.30 Close

Who should attend?

The workshop is designed for business and technology managers and those involved with the innovation process.

• Chief Technology Officers
• Business Development Managers
• Technology Managers
• Technology Directors

Presenters

The seminar will be presented by members of the Centre for Technology Management, supported by industrial collaborators drawn from large and small companies, and technology consultancy organisations, including:

• Dr Jeremy Klein, Senior Consultant, Public Sector Practice, Sagentia (more info below)
• Dr Erik Mayes, Senior Commercial Product Manager, Cambridge Display Technology (more info below)
• A W (Tony) Sidwell, New Opportunities Manager, British Sugar plc

Dr Jeremy Klein

... is a Director of Sagentia Public Sector, the public sector unit of local consultancy Sagentia, formerly called Scientific Generics over 20 years ago. His current work is mainly in the strategy and policy dimensions of science and technology. With two decades in consultancy, he adds his personal perspective on the role of consultancies through the economic cycle.

Dr Eric Mayes

...Senior Commercial Product Manager at Cambridge Display Technology (CDT) and has over a decade of experience in the electronic nanomaterials industry. Prior to joining CDT, Eric served as CEO of NanoMagnetics which developed high-density magnetic media for the data storage industry alongside a diversified materials portfolio. He holds non-executive directorships in water purification firm Apaclara Ltd. and IMPACT Faraday Ltd. which is part of CIKTN. A US native, Eric holds a BSc in Physics from Arkansas State University and a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Bath.

A W (Tony) Sidwell

...New Opportunities Manager, British Sugar plc. Worked originally in operations, moving on to run the central analytical labs and then onto R&D for British Sugar, now working in Business Development. Successful projects include a 5 hectare glasshouse utilising waste heat and CO2 from the sugar process and the first fuel ethanol plant in the UK. Recently worked on designing systems for carbon and sustainability reporting, for British Sugar's renewable fuels projects. Currently running the ventures pipeline for the British Sugar Group to find new technologies and markets to move the group forward into new but adjacent areas of business.

Location

The workshop will be held at the Møller Centre, Churchill College, Cambridge. A map will be sent with confirmation of booking.

Cost and booking

£75.00 per person + VAT, including lunch. A discount of 10% is offered to IfM members. For details of IfM membership see: http://www.ifm.eng.cam.ac.uk/members/.

Print, fill and return the booking form by fax or post. For more information please contact Jo Griffiths, at the address below:

You will receive confirmation of receipt of your booking form by email, usually within 48 hours.  Final confirmation of your booking together with joining instructions, including maps etc, will be sent approximately one week before the start of the event, usually by email to the email address provided on your form.

Tel: +44 (0)1223 766141
Fax: +44 (0)1223 464217
Email: ifm-events@eng.cam.ac.uk

Cancellations

Substitutions may be made at any time. Bookings cancelled less than 10 days prior to the event will be charged in full.