Perspectives on Innovation

I am an American student currently working towards a master’s degree at BOKU (Universität für Bodenkultur/
University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Science) in Vienna. I spent the previous year studying at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. I am enrolled in a two-year scholarship program, entitled the European Master in Animal Breeding and Genetics (EM-ABG). This Erasmus Mundus program gives international students an opportunity to obtain graduate degrees through European universities. Following completion of my degree, I hope to work as a conservation biologist for a zoo, preferably aiding in the design and implementation of breeding programs for endangered species.

Through the Erasmus Mundus program, I have learned to appreciate the impact of cooperation between researchers with various perspectives. In my opinion, this cooperation is also an important aspect of the unique solving opportunities offered through InnoCentive.

I received my undergraduate degree in biology from Cornell University, and my concentration was animal physiology. I drew on my understanding of physiology, and on my practical knowledge of animal care and handling, to solve the Challenge titled “Animal Disease Marker.” The challenge was to describe a non-invasive marker for Feline Odontoclastic Resorptive Lesions (FORLs). I am excited about my idea being put into practice, and benefiting not only the Seeker, but also, on a practical level, veterinarians, and also cats suffering from this condition. 

I am grateful to InnoCentive for giving scientists such as myself the opportunity (and motivation) to step a bit outside of our areas of expertise, and to develop creative solutions for thought-provoking problems on a wide range of topics. I first learned about InnoCentive from a fellow scientist, and I’ve gone on to tell many other people about InnoCentive, recommending that they check out the site. I have submitted a solution for another challenge recently, and I intend to try many more in the future. 

Leia este post em português. I am an IT Manager with around 18 years of IT experience. During this time, I worked as a software engineer in government departments, as an IT consultant for the United Nations and, during the last few years, as an IT manager in a multinational company. I live with my wife in Porto Alegre, south of Brazil.

The good thing about innovation is that everyone is always trying to reach it or work with it. You will never see someone saying something like “My job is very boring – all we do is innovate and innovate”. As a manager, I know how important is to stimulate people to think “outside-of-the-box”, to innovate, and to find new ways to do things (sometimes, new ways to do the same task). Innovation not only results in ideas that can solve problems in an easier way, but it encourages people to keep learning and stay self-motivated in their day-to-day activities.

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Veteran Solvers and new Solvers alike have told us that they enjoy looking through the new Challenges each week. So tell us – what is your favorite Challenge? Which one was the toughest, or the hardest to ignore? Was there one that made you laugh, or peaked your interest? Tell us!

Many of you wrote in response to my question last week, Can innovation work at the National Government level in America? I want to thank you for your thoughtful feedback, it’s fantastic to see such a lively debate!

Over the weekend, Business Week published an article on a similar topic, entitled Can America Invent Its Way Back? They delved into what they term innovation economics, and the reasons that innovation could soon become essential in our economy. They also published a video interview with, Michael Mandel, who is the Chief Economist for Business Week.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this piece and the topic of innovation economics. Will innovation, particularly open innovation, keep America competetive? I’m particularly interested to hear from those of you who live outside the US on this one. How much has open innovation (or crowdsourcing) caught on where you live?