Successfully Managing and Prioritizing R&D Projects

First presented
April 24-26 1996
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the Institute for International Research (IIR)

Also presented at the
IIR Conference Accelerating Innovation and Knowledge in R & D
New Orleans - Sept 1996

Innovation has long been the domain of R&D professionals. Peter F. Drucker has said that there is only one competence needed for the future - innovation and the ability to measure its performance. There is also a growing appreciation for the value of intellectual assets in the management of the process and the business as-a-whole. Leadership has emerged from a variety of functions to capture the opportunities afforded a networked, global economy. This presentation gives insights into:

• From where did this movement come?
• Why has it developed so rapidly?
• Who are the constituents?
• What is the vision forward?
• What are the implications for our respective enterprises?
• How can the R&D competence be effectively leveraged?

In the session, the evolution of each main business function is traced to show how they are coming to a common appreciation for knowledge and innovation.

The presentation shows the evolution of the 'movement' in the form of a timeline showing Hindsight (i.e. roots of the Managing the Knowledge Asset Roundtable); Insight (current activities, initiatives and practitioners) and Foresight (vision for the IMF equivalent for the 'world trade of ideas.')