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Innovation in research
Encouraging innovation in research is key to fostering cultures of innovation that lead research institutions to flourish.
- What is innovation in research?
- Why is innovation in research important?
- How can you be more innovative in your research?
Do you want to foster better innovation in your research team?
Innovation in research teams leads to greater research outputs, flourishing research departments, and more fulfilled individuals.
Unleash your creativity in your work – read more below on how you can begin to do this.
What is innovation in research?
Innovation involves improving and revitalising an existing role, group, product, organisation or process. This is needed to keep the object viable in times of change.
How does innovation apply in an academic context?
- Expand various research activities and outputs
- Streamline research practices
- Embrace current and emerging research related agendas and trends
Why is innovation in research important?
- Embracing innovation can advance your research team within the field
- Innovative work attracts funding from the private sector as well as support from collaborators
- Innovation leads to competition, in turn driving overall progress
- Innovation can create and meet new needs for stakeholders which can build the reputations of research institutions
- Organisations known for their innovation attract top talent
- A research group that fosters innovation provides the optimal environment for highly skilled researchers who can provide their skills in the private and public sectors.
How can you be more innovative in your research?
- Ask yourself and colleagues starting questions, such as ‘what are the obstacles that are slowing us down in our research?’ or ‘what are the most interesting opportunities that we have available right now?’ – these prompts can generate innovative thinking.
- Identify the challenges of innovation – organise an ‘open-space’ meeting where members of the group and other stakeholders can contribute their ideas, issues, challenges and feelings, and explore answers together. Help staff familiarise themselves with the language of creative problem solving by organising training on an appropriate method and its tools and techniques.
- Carving out spare capacity – how do you find the time and space to cultivate a culture of innovation when your researchers have such busy work schedules? Read the column to the right on selected strategies to foster a more innovative working environment:
How do I create an innovative working environment?
- Avoid multi-tasking and focus on one task at a time. If your work is increasingly routine, taking regular breaks refreshes productivity.
- Identify a ‘creative space’ in the workplace that can be reserved for idea generation – use this space and time only for creative thinking and not for anything else.
- Avoid financial and other incentives aimed at generating new ideas – research has shown that creativity can be diminished under these circumstances.
Final takeaways
- Innovation involves improving and revitalising an existing role, group, product, organisation or process. This is needed to keep the object viable in times of change.
- Innovative work attracts funding from the private sector as well as support from collaborators
- Identify a ‘creative space’ in the workplace that can be reserved for idea generation – use this space and time only for creative thinking and not for anything else.