Early Stages Of Innovation Research Articles

Accelerating the deployment of SMRs in Canada: The importance of intermediaries

Much of the research on technological innovation, especially in the context of sustainability transitions, has focused on the early stages of innovation. Much less work has been done on successful acceleration of technological change after pre-development and take-off. Filling this gap is important for improving the chances of successful deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs). Recent work on sustainability transitions has focused on the importance of "intermediaries". These are actors and platforms that sustain the momentum of transitions by linking actors, activities, and resources. Their role in the acceleration phase is less well understood and SMRs provide a compelling case study of the challenges. This paper uses document, web, and interview data to analyze the role of intermediaries in Canadian SMR deployment, focusing particularly on the intermediaries needed for successful social innovation; identifies gaps; and evaluates the role of public policy in supporting the development of these critical relationships.

Predicting future adoption of early-stage innovations for smart farming: A case study investigating critical factors influencing use of smart feeder technology for potential delivery of methane inhibitors in pasture-grazed dairy systems

Globally, livestock farmers are challenged with reducing greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate climate change. A potential option for pasture-based dairy farmers involves including methane-inhibiting compounds in the diet. A novel approach to deliver these compounds with the required frequency and precision is via smart-feeders, an existing smart farming technology used to feed supplements automatically to animals in-paddock. For this innovation to be successful, however, it must integrate with farm systems and provide farmers with a positive value proposition. The aim of this study was to examine the farm system and technology factors influencing potential uptake of in-paddock smart technologies for delivering methane inhibitors in pasture-grazed systems. We utilized an adoption prediction tool (ADOPT) to model the adoption outcomes of smart-feeders as methane inhibitor delivery mechanisms on dairy farms, with input from industry experts and farmers via focus groups. The results indicated low adoption of smart-feeders in a pasture-based system context. This was further explored with a sensitivity analysis of seven critical ADOPT factors which were identified as influential through the farmer focus groups. We modelled the impact of the seven critical ADOPT factors for two smart-feeder concepts to evaluate their relative adoption potential. The adoption modelling showed that while factors such as technology cost and function were important, adoption would also be highly influenced by future regulation settings, innovation uncertainty, and the alignment with farmer values and worldviews about their farm system. This research highlighted that in-paddock delivery technology, and processes for its use on-farm, represents an early-stage innovation and therefore is vital that farmers and other stakeholders are involved in further development to ensure adoption factors are addressed.

Impact of cation-based mineral supplement characteristics on dairy farmer’s adoption: Insights from a field trial

The attributes of innovation encompass the qualities, traits or characteristics inherent in an object reflecting the relative benefits of a novel idea. Assessing these attributes during the early stages of innovation within farmer management practices can offer valuable insights to the scientific community, enabling the formulation of policies to expedite farmer adoption. This study examined the perceived attributes of Cation-based Mineral Supplement (C-bMS). The research findings indicated that C-bMS demonstrates a moderate relative advantage (82.49%) compared to other mineral supplements in mitigating ruminal acidosis. It is highly compatible (80.84%), easy to comprehend and utilize, readily trialable (73.75%) with observable effects of feeding (78.75%), and predictable benefits (87.92%) for dairy farmers. Feeding C-bMS helps alleviate negative energy balance, increasing feed intake which in turn boosts milk production, ultimately reducing production costs by preventing ruminal acidosis and potentially doubling dairy farmers’ income. Raising general awareness among dairy farmers about ruminal acidosis, the consequences of negative energy balance, and the advantages of feeding C-bMS can be achieved through effective extension methods such as demonstrations and exhibitions.

Unpacking Organizational Support for Employee Ideation and Experimentation in Early-Stage Innovation

Unpacking Organizational Support for Employee Ideation and Experimentation in Early-Stage Innovation

See you on the Metaverse: A bibliometric expedition through the Metaverse landscape

The Metaverse is a rapidly developing technology that has attracted interest from various companies. Experts predict exponential growth in profits from the Metaverse market in the coming years. However, early stages of innovation often bring uncertain and speculative impressions, making its direction, timing, and future unclear. The viability of the Metaverse as either an innovation that fails or as the next technological revolution is questionable in its own right. Academically, the Metaverse has generated interest across various disciplines, including psychology, marketing, and legal studies. The aim of this study is to systematically consolidate the growing literature to understand the intricate dynamics of consumer behavior and marketing practices in this evolving sphere. To achieve this, a comprehensive bibliometric analysis was carried considering 284 contributions from the Web of Science on the Metaverse in business, management, marketing, and communication using quantitative analysis tools such as VOSviewer and SciMAT. The study provides insight into pioneering contributions, prominent authors, central themes, and emerging research challenges related to the Metaverse. The results contribute towards better understanding of the Metaverse, enabling well-informed decisions for efficient marketing strategies and future advancements in this ever-evolving realm for both practitioners and researchers.

Power to the she: early-stage female entrepreneurs and innovation

PurposeOur study draws on gender role congruity theory to theorize and test an integrative conceptual model outlining how motives for entrepreneurial action explain the relationship between female entrepreneurship and innovation in nascent ventures.Design/methodology/approachTo test our hypotheses, we employed structural equation modeling (SEM) in a sample of early-stage entrepreneurs (N = 533).FindingsWe found a positive relationship between nascent female entrepreneurs and innovation, and that this relationship is mediated by motives for recognition, respect, and autonomy.Originality/valueBy revealing a positive relationship between female entrepreneurship and innovation, our work provides a complementary perspective to the literature, which suggests that there are limits to innovation potential for female entrepreneurs. Further, we find that this relationship is explained by motives for recognition, respect, and autonomy, but not financial security. Finally, most empirical research focuses on the innovative outputs of established new ventures, while our work leverages a sample of early-stage entrepreneurs.

A Process Model for Early-Stage Experimentation to Accelerate Innovation

Overview: Innovation has become increasingly urgent for companies to maintain competitive advantage, yet deep uncertainty persists regarding the end results of their innovation efforts. Early-stage experimentation offers a risk management approach that can dramatically accelerate cost-effective innovation. Experimentation relies on the scientific method to craft and test hypotheses. Insufficient guidance exists regarding how to help managers harness experimentation in early-stage innovation projects. Based on our observations of experienced experimenters engaged in early-stage innovation projects in four distinct settings, we developed a process model that offers practitioners a structured and scalable approach to foster early-stage experimentation. Managers in all parts of the organization can apply the process model and operationalize experimentation. The article’s contribution is twofold: we articulate specific practices associated with choices around what is being tested, how it is being tested, and what is learned, and we offer a model designed to help build managerial literacy in early-stage experimentation.

Application of the IDEAL framework in hepatopancreatobiliary surgery: a review of the literature.

To evaluate every stage of surgical innovation and generate high-quality research evidence, the IDEAL (Idea, Development, Exploration, Assessment, Long-term study) framework was developed. This study aimed to explore the application of the IDEAL framework in hepatopancreatobiliary surgery and identify factors limiting its dissemination. We conducted a citation search of 8 core IDEAL framework articles in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus databases from 2009 to 2022. Two independent reviewers screened and selected articles related to hepatopancreatobiliary surgery. A total of 1621 articles were identified through citation search. Following screening, 132 articles were finally retained, including 75 original studies (57%) and 57 secondary studies (43%). Of the original studies, only 10 articles (13%) accurately applied the IDEAL framework in methodology, distributed as follows: 1 in pre-IDEAL stage (0), 2 in Idea stage (1), 7 in Development stage (2a), 1 in Exploration stage (2b), and no articles in Assessment and Long-term study stages (3, 4). In the secondary studies, 36 articles (63%) mentioned and discussed the IDEAL framework, and all supported its application. The application of the IDEAL framework in hepatopancreatobiliary surgery is increasingly widespread, as evidenced by its substantial citation in numerous articles. However, the utilization of the IDEAL framework remains predominantly confined to the early stages of innovation in hepatopancreatobiliary surgery, coupled with instances of misapplication stemming from insufficient comprehension of the framework. Further efforts are necessary to extend the impact of the IDEAL framework and provide surgeons with comprehensive guidance for its judicious implementation.

Unsustainabilities: A study on SUVs and Space Tourism and a research agenda for transition studies

While transitions research has pursued a successful research agenda around how to improve established socio-technical systems in terms of sustainability, it has missed out, among other things, on innovations that make, or keep, societies less sustainable. In our paper, we explore two innovations in different stages of development: Sports utility vehicles (SUVs) and space tourism. SUVs entrench an existing socio-technical system and reproduce problematic practices, while space tourism might create a whole new, unsustainable system. We make three contributions. First, we introduce ‘unsustainabilities’ as a new term for technologies, institutions and practices that make, or keep, societies less sustainable. With this we direct attention to developments and structures that undermine ongoing sustainability transitions. Second, we distinguish unsustainabilities associated with socio-technical configurations, socio-technical systems, and meta-structures (spanning multiple systems). Third, we argue that precautionary policies will be needed in early stages of innovation, when there is still room to avoid unsustainable transitions.

Natural language processing for innovation search – Reviewing an emerging non-human innovation intermediary

Applying artificial intelligence (AI), especially natural language processing (NLP), to harness large amounts of information from patent databases, online communities, social media, or crowdsourcing platforms is becoming increasingly popular to help organizations find promising solutions. In the era of non-human innovation intermediaries, we should begin to view NLP not only as a useful technology applied in different innovation practices but also as an intermediary orchestrating valuable information. Previous research has not taken this perspective, and knowledge about its intermediation activities and functions is limited. This study reviews 167 academic articles to better understand how NLP approaches can enrich intermediation in early-stage innovation search. It identifies 18 distinctive innovation practices taking over activities like forecasting trends, illustrating technology and idea landscapes, filtering out distinctive contributions, recombining domain-specific and analogous knowledge, or matching problems with solutions. While certain NLP capabilities complement each other, the analysis shows that the choice of the most appropriate approach depends on the characteristics of the innovation practice. Innovation researchers and practitioners should rethink current roles and responsibilities in AI-based innovation processes. As seen in the recent emergence of large language models (LLMs), the rapidly evolving field offers many future research opportunities and practical benefits.

Including Sustainability Criteria in the Front End of Innovation in Technology Ventures

This study evaluates the presence of sustainability parameters in the product development process, especially in the early stages of innovation, using the Sustainability Technology Readiness Level (STRL) tool. STRL assesses the initial planning of products or product and service systems (PSS) and suggests possibilities for incorporating sustainable features in the short, medium, and long term based on responses from startups (EBTs). The research was conducted in two ecosystems at different maturity levels: Florianópolis (Brazil), a more mature stage, and Santander (Colombia), which is growing, considering their cultural and social differences. To validate the STRL tool, four out of the eighteen winning startups from the MuEBTe SANTANDER public funding project in Colombia were selected. Characteristics of the two researched ecosystems, their actors, strengths, approaches, and expansion possibilities were identified and compared. The innovation lies in establishing a sustainable baseline when applying the tool by acquiring the front-end characteristic matrix. It was observed that sustainability as a variable has relevance and independence from product design in product planning, allowing for the selection of short, medium, and long-term actions throughout the product’s lifecycle. It was concluded that considering sustainability involves context and vision, resulting in significant choices of materials, processes, and production methods that add value and appreciation for the customer.

How to involve potential users in eHealth innovation: seven strategies from healthcare and design

To arrive at viable eHealth applications, it is important that future users are involved in research projects. In practice, however, it is difficult to involve potential users and keep them involved. In a multiple-case study, we investigate ten eHealth projects in which design researchers and healthcare researchers worked together. We focus on how they involved potential users and kept them involved. Both domains have a rich tradition of involving potential users and see their involvement of potential (future) users in the early stages of innovation as essential. Therefore it is interesting to investigate projects in which design researchers and healthcare researchers intensively work together. We discovered seven strategies to promote the involvement of potential users in eHealth research projects: (1) use research methods based on building personal relationships; (2) build trust before introducing research methods; (3) facilitate the preconditions around the moments of involvement; (4) facilitate by introducing a prototype as a boundary object; (5) choose the method that fits the research context; (6) integrate the values behind the eHealth tool into the research method; (7) involve proxies instead of the potential users. These strategies may guide future projects where design researchers and healthcare researchers work together with potential users.

Screening level approach to support companies in making safe and sustainable by design decisions at the early stages of innovation

Screening level approach to support companies in making safe and sustainable by design decisions at the early stages of innovation

We’re only human - An exploratory study of biases and strategic problem formulation performance

ABSTRACT This study looks at how decisions are made during early-stage innovation, specifically how managers, teams, or team leaders formulate problems on which to focus. Problem formulation processes put organisations on paths that incur sunk costs and influence subsequent problem solving and innovation outcomes. Varying human biases may impair these processes. Therefore, factors that have the potential to mitigate biases play a key role in determining problem formulation performance. This exploratory study looks at one of these factors by examining the role of awareness of bias. It offers theoretical insight into and examines empirically the relationships between bias awareness and bias intensity, as well as between bias intensity and problem formulation performance. Using the problem as the unit of analysis, and examining original survey datasets gathered from the US, China, and Finland, we find that two bias types are particularly prone to influence strategic problem formulation: Solution jumping as a cognitive bias and dominance as a motivational bias show negative relationships with problem formulation performance. We also find that unlike other biases, dominance bias appears unaffected by the degree of bias awareness. The insights from our study shed light on how formulating novel problems is subject to the influence of cognitive, motivational, and informational biases.

Developing carbon dioxide removal policy and anticipatory perspectives in the United Kingdom and United States

The deployment of Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) to GtCO2 scale by the mid-century is integral to realising net zero. Some CDR methods are technically maturing whilst some are in the early stages of innovation. At the same time, first mover nations are implementing policy and regulatory frameworks to establish this sector. Policy analysis around CDR has therefore become an area of focus as a function of its importance in establishing, developing and scaling a just, equitable and sustainable net zero transition. Policy development for sustainable transitions tends to use consolidative modelling approaches. These, often protracted, analyses can become quickly outdated in dynamic fast-moving sectors, and be unable to manage the multiple objectives that actors seek when innovating. The innovation rate required to scale the CDR sector and the extent of uncertainty to realise net zero, questions the applicability of these approaches.This research proposes a novel rapid policy analysis process, based on the decision theatre format, that uses strategic foresight to develop anticipatory, values-based CDR policy insights. This contribution prototypes this rapid approach on two pioneer national CDR developers - the United Kingdom and United States. Through its application, the method identifies opportunities for globally collaborative CDR policy intervention - a roadmap, a coordination hub, and agile policy processes - supported by regional policy specialisations - coordinating offices, measurement standards, and public capacity building - to achieve GtCO2 scale CDR deployment. Most importantly, the proposed approach provides a rapid method for sustainable transitions policy analysis in contexts of deep uncertainty.

Toward an understanding of innovation failure: The timing of failure experience

Failure is a key feature of innovation and learning from innovation failure has been seen as the main source of knowledge production and future success. The timing of the failure experience affects learning from innovation failure as it determines the speed and salience of the feedback firms get, but the research on this issue is relatively scarce. This study uses drug development data in the biotechnology industry and separates innovation into early and late stages to explore this issue. The results show that firms are more likely to learn from early-stage innovation failures than from late-stage innovation failures. This is because the knowledge gained from late-stage innovation failures may not be applied to improve future early-stage innovation. However, slack resources can facilitate such cross-stage knowledge spillover. This paper sheds light on learning from failure literature by examining the heterogeneity of failure experiences in experiential learning.

O116 Clinical innovation network analysis (CINA) and readiness for implementation of novel digital health interventions for postoperative monitoring: a systematic review

Abstract Introduction Increasing numbers of digital health interventions (DHIs) for remote postoperative monitoring have recently been developed and evaluated. We aimed to review DHIs for postoperative monitoring and evaluate their readiness for implementation into routine care. Methods This systematic review identified studies on implementation and evaluation of DHIs for postoperative monitoring published before 31st December 2021 (PROSPERO ID: CRD42021264289). Studies which included postoperative monitoring use-cases for general postoperative recovery or specific complications were defined according to their IDEAL (Idea, Development, Exploration, Assessment and Long-term follow-up) stages of innovation. A novel clinical innovation network analysis (CINA) using co-authorship and citations of previous work was used to examine collaboration and progression. The WHO framework for monitoring and evaluating DHIs was used for narrative synthesis. Results Seventy-five novel DHIs were identified from 7,605 records. Of these, 76.0% (n= 57/75) were classed as early-stage innovations (IDEAL stage 1 & 2a), and none had achieved routine implementation. There is limited evidence of collaboration based on co-authorship or citations, with 91.3% (n=63/69) of studies beyond IDEAL stage 1 without prior publications. There were notable differences in evaluation, with clear omissions in evaluation across all use-cases: more than 4/5 studies did not consider the feasibility, accessibility, or impact of these interventions on the cost, efficiency or quality of care. Conclusion Use of DHIs for postoperative monitoring remains at an early stage of innovation, with promising but generally low-quality evidence. Comprehensive evaluation within high-quality, large-scale trials and real-world data are required to definitively establish readiness for routine implementation.

In-licensing university technology and firm innovation

This study examines the relationship between university licensing and firm follow-on innovations in the context of therapeutic biotechnology industry. Our theoretical model bridges two research streams in the organizational learning literature—learning-by-licensing and learning-by-failure— to better understand the contingent nature of such relationship. Specifically, it contends that firms that have experienced early-stage innovation failures are better positioned to uncover new knowledge creation opportunities when exposed to the licensed-in university technology. The empirics are based on a panel dataset analysis of a sample of 190 US therapeutic biotechnology firms observed from 2003 to 2011. Our findings provide empirical support to these contentions, suggesting potential interaction effects between the mechanisms of learning-by-licensing and learning-by-failure.

The State of the Art and Challenges of In Vitro Methods for Human Hazard Assessment of Nanomaterials in the Context of Safe-by-Design.

The Safe-by-Design (SbD) concept aims to facilitate the development of safer materials/products, safer production, and safer use and end-of-life by performing timely SbD interventions to reduce hazard, exposure, or both. Early hazard screening is a crucial first step in this process. In this review, for the first time, commonly used in vitro assays are evaluated for their suitability for SbD hazard testing of nanomaterials (NMs). The goal of SbD hazard testing is identifying hazard warnings in the early stages of innovation. For this purpose, assays should be simple, cost-effective, predictive, robust, and compatible. For several toxicological endpoints, there are indications that commonly used in vitro assays are able to predict hazard warnings. In addition to the evaluation of assays, this review provides insights into the effects of the choice of cell type, exposure and dispersion protocol, and the (in)accurate determination of dose delivered to cells on predictivity. Furthermore, compatibility of assays with challenging advanced materials and NMs released from nano-enabled products (NEPs) during the lifecycle is assessed, as these aspects are crucial for SbD hazard testing. To conclude, hazard screening of NMs is complex and joint efforts between innovators, scientists, and regulators are needed to further improve SbD hazard testing.

Aligning Incentives for Surgical Innovation: Review of the Literature and Best Practices.

Background: Innovation in the clinical surgical space is often generated by the insight and ideas of practicing surgeons whose ideas solve direct and relevant clinical problems with both novel products and reimagined processes. Despite some successes in both product and process development, innovation in the practicing surgical space does not occur with the frequency one might expect and does not consistently result in adoption of profitable or health-improving new products or processes. One barrier to successful innovation is the misalignment of incentives for early-stage innovation in the clinical surgical enterprise. This project was undertaken to determine best innovation practices for clinical Divisions and Departments. Methods: Best practices for innovation in industry were determined by company-specific examples, as well as literature review in the business and medical literature. Concepts were then integrated to determine a viable model that aligns incentives to encourage early-stage innovation. Proposal: The centralized Moderated Innovation Database (MID) of early-stage exploratory ideas integrates best practices of innovation in a low-cost, sustainable model. The MID must be executed in 3 phases to ensure viability in implementation. This model is likely to encourage innovation by both improving stakeholder satisfaction with and engagement in the process, and by increasing capture of early-stage innovation. Conclusion: Infrastructure for early-stage ideas will help align incentives for early-stage innovation, and the MID is consistent with best practices for innovation.