(2186) ENGINEERING INNOVATION: A FRAMEWORK FOR TEACHING ENGINEERING STUDENTS THE BUSINESS OF INNOVATION

摘要

Engineers are inventors and innovators who require strong technical knowledge to be successful intheir careers. For economic prosperity and the growth of companies, and thus nations, engineers mustcompete internationally to transform their knowledge and innovations into services and/or productsthat generate wealth and create new job opportunities. It is increasingly obvious that engineers'technical skills alone are no longer sufficient in a more globalised and competitive professionalbusiness context. Consequently engineers should know how to recognise, nurture and develop ideasas well as being capable of developing appropriate strategies to protect them, exploit them andevaluate their economic potential. For this reason engineering students should be encouraged toexpand their knowledge beyond their core technical skills into a broad range of disciplines that directlyimpact the success of their work, such as economics, finance, legal compliance, organisationalgovernance and strategic management of the technology, intellectual property and intellectual capitalwithin their company. There are many challenges to be faced by educators in developing courses tohelp students learn such skills.This paper reviews the challenges involved and proposes a framework on how engineering studentsmay be educated and inspired about the business of innovation, and particularly the management ofinnovation and intellectual assets. It is hoped that this work will be of practical interest to educatorsconsidering approaches to overcome similar challenges and become more effective educators.