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| | Third-party inspiration |
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| External technology co-operations play a major role in driving innovation and we have several initiatives in this area. |
Academics and industry experts |
The Innovation Office is working with the University of Vienna and Professor Eric von Hippel - head of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Group at the MIT Sloan School of Management in Boston – to identify areas of end-user innovation to bolster our offering. End-user innovation is where an individual or company develops an innovation for their own personal or in-house use because existing products do not meet their specific needs.
It is also working with Professor Piller, a specialist in mass consumerization from the University of Aachen, to implement initiatives that further open up innovation to external parties. One of the ideas is an Innovation Contest for students and professors as well as for professional experts to suggest ideas for new services to support the data center of the future. |
Market researchers and trend analysts |
Our Central Market Assessment Department works with market research agencies and trend analysts to identify market trends around technology use. Together they identify target groups for new products and services, establish what they want in terms of design and functionality, and how best to market it to them.
The Technology Office is co-operating with research organization the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft to identify market trends in IT services and green computing. This initiative, called the Technology Radar, is now in its second year. |
Specialist technology vendors |
The Technology Office also scouts third-party and specialist technology companies to identify new trends and work out whether there is any room for joint development. Often small, niche companies are ahead of the mainstream, offering best-in-class products with a great deal of mass market potential.
The consumer division also involves large retailers like Dixons and Currys in the UK into the innovation process, to provide expert advice on what customers want, how products should look and how best to market them.
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