The Institute for Manufacturing (IfM) recently hosted the EINST4INE summer school, bringing together leading academics, young scholars and industry professionals for a week-long event focused on digital innovation.

The summer school, organised by the IfM’s Decision-making for Emerging Technologies Group (Dr Letizia Mortara, Dr Rob Phaal, Nicola Felicini and Constanze Leeb) as part of their participation in the EU project EINST4INE, aims to foster knowledge transfer, collaboration and skills development in the field of industrial digital transformation.

Throughout the week, participants engaged in a variety of activities designed to expose researchers to different practical methods that could be used in the study and management of digital transformation.

This included a three-day technology innovation management course featuring practical approaches such as ecosystems mapping (Dr Florian Urmetzer), roadmapping and foresight approaches (Dr Rob Phaal) and technology management tools (Dr Diana Khripko and Dr Imoh Ilevbare), Technology Intelligence and Open Innovation Intermediaries (Dr Letizia Mortara), IP management (Prof Frank Tietze), and transferable skills such as proposal writing (Dr Eoin O’Sullivan), and designing experiments for studying cyber-human collaborations (Dr Thomas Bohné and Dr Slawomir Tadeja).

The week also included research workshops to help EINST4INE researchers enhance the impact of their projects and a day of industry engagement with the IfM's Strategic Technology & Innovation Management (STIM) Consortium.

EINST4INE is a consortium funded by the EU as part of the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks (ITN) scheme. The consortium comprises universities, research organisations and industry partners from around the world and strives to develop new concepts, approaches and young talent to support the ongoing digital transformation.

The recent summer school was designed to support the transfer of knowledge developed within EINST4INE to industry and government and drive impact. This involved bringing together leading experts and early career researchers in Open Innovation, Industry 4.0, digital transformation and innovation ecosystems. 

Dr Letizia Mortara said: “The summer school was a unique opportunity for attendees to broaden their knowledge and skills in the field of digital innovation. With delegates coming from Australia, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Finland and Italy, this is a truly global gathering of learning and knowledge sharing between academia and industry. This was a particularly exciting event as it built on the synergy between two strong academic-industry consortia, committed to develop tools for Digital Transformation, such as EINST4INE and STIM.”

EINST4INE partners such as Johnson Matthey and Amplyfi, STIM network members from multinational companies such as GSK, IHI and BP and consulting experts such as Charles Boulton could discuss ongoing research on current topics such as innovation ecosystems.

Summer school delegate Vivian Marcelino from RMIT University said: “The EINST4INE summer school at the IfM has been a fantastic opportunity to discover some of the latest thinking on innovation management and digital transformation and build connections with peers and industry partners from across the globe.

“As a PhD researcher, learning what is important for the academic community and practitioners alike is essential for ensuring that our research contributes to real impact. The IfM offers an enriching environment for this academia-industry exchange.

“The discussions I have had this week have helped me gain new insights on my research and think further about how I can bring my findings in a practical and useful way. I particularly enjoyed exploring the diverse application of roadmaps as innovation and technology strategy and management tools, including the possibility of using complementary tools such as SWOT analysis and stakeholder mapping.

“I am leaving IfM with a stronger toolkit that will support me not only in my PhD but in my future industry career.”

One of the highlights of the event was the interaction between researchers and industry delegates, facilitated by the Strategic Technology & Innovation Management (STIM) Consortium.

“Organising the EINST4INE summer school in Cambridge has been a great opportunity for bringing together these two like-minded communities,” said Letizia. “The approach aimed to maximise the value to all stakeholders and start building impact. At the event, STIM and EINST4INE members exchanged knowledge on a variety of topics, on digitalisation and Technology Management methods, allowing research results to reach industry and current problems in industry to stimulate research.

“For example, Professor Ferran Giones and Professor Alexander Brem, from the University of Stuttgart led a discussion on methods to support exaptation (the identification of new markets for existing innovation) to amplify companies value opportunities.”

STIM, formed as a collaborative effort between industrial members and the Centre for Technology Management, focuses on practical research and networking in the field of technology and innovation management. The synergy between EINST4INE and STIM, both dedicated to fostering innovation, is expected to result in fruitful collaborations and further advancements in the world of digital innovation.

During their stay in Cambridge, the EINST4INE researchers also had the opportunity to relax and enjoy themlselves, thanks to the beautifully planned social events organised by Nicola Felicini and Constanze Leeb.