Innovations and Knowledge Transfer 4030-IKTg
(1) Introduction
- Contents, learning outcomes, assessment criteria
- Key concepts in innovation and knowledge transfer
- Definition of product and process innovations
- Innovations and R&D
- Creativity, inventions and innovations
- Innovation processes: supply-push and demand pull
- Types of innovations: architectural, radical, disruptive,
incremental
(2) Sustainable innovations across various industries and sectors
- Examples of sustainable innovations in various industries and
sectors
- Examples of sustainability challenges addressed by innovations
- Overview of emerging technologies driving sustainable
2
innovations
- Features and benefits as ways of understanding innovations
(3) Technology markets
- Forms of knowledge transfer, technology transfer and open
innovations
- Whole product model and importance of complementary
products and services for sustainable innovations
- Ecosystem players: startup companies, incubators,
accelerators, VC firms, government, and NGOs
(4) Value propositions of innovative sustainable products and
services
- Defining value propositions
- Sources of inspiration and competitive advantage
- Role of intellectual property
(5) Diffusion of sustainable innovations
- Everett Roger’s model of innovation features influencing
diffusion
- Types of adopters and “crossing the chasm”
- Elevator test
- Challenges of sustainable innovations commercialization
(6) New business models for sustainablity
- Value disciplines for sustainable differentiation
- Blue Ocean Strategy for sustainable innovations
- Structure of costs and revenues for sustainable value creation
- Alternative and emerging approaches to sustainable business
models
(7) Customer discovery and protection of intellectual property
- Selecting target customers
- Persona as a way of understanding customer needs
- Personalization versus standardization
- Intellectual property protection and sustainable innovations
(8) Innovative venture creation
- Spinoff, startup, and social enterprise: key differences
- Pre-venture phase: when and how to start?
- Venture formation phase: formal, legal, and contractual
requirements
(9) Final team project: developing idea for an innovative startup
company or a social enterprise
Type of course
Mode
Course coordinators
Term 2025Z: | Term 2024Z: |
Learning outcomes
K_W03 - environmental, social as well as economic challenges at
regional and global levels and understands the interconnections between
them;
K_W06 - appropriate sustainability indicators;
K_W12 – to a deeper degree principles of preparing and writing a
scientific paper;
K_U01 - initiate, actively participate in and lead teams preparing
documents and strategies for implementing the principles of sustainable
development in various types of institutions and bodies at various levels
of management, as well as within civic movements and other social
initiatives;
K_U02 - work interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral based on knowledge
from various subject disciplines and institutional sectors in order to
synthesize new ideas and concepts serving the environment and
sustainable development;
K_U03 - evaluate the actions taken to achieve the Sustainable
Development Goals and write and present reports in this regard;
K_U04 – ask critical questions and find appropriate solutions;
K_U05 - use methods of social communication as well as promotion and
education in activities implementing solutions in the field of environment
and sustainable development;
K_U07 - identify the strengths and weaknesses of standard actions taken
to solve environmental and sustainable development problems;
K_K01 - active participation in resolving conflicts and conducting
negotiations related to the implementation of sustainable development
principles and goals;
K_K02 - communicate effectively, orally and in writing, with the
community and professionals in various fields;
K_K06 - care for the reliability and credibility of their research work;
K_K07 - respecting the rules of intellectual property;
K_K08 - coordinating the work of the team, in particular in terms of the
division of duties and time management;
K_K09 - entrepreneurial thinking and acting in the implementation of the
Sustainable Development Goals
Assessment criteria
Students will be graded based on:
Individual and team assignments accompanying regular classes (40%)
Final project assignment (60%)
In order to pass the course, students need to gain at least 60%.
The method of calculation of the final grade:
less than 60% - 2
60% - 67% - sufficient (3)
68% - 75% - satisfactory (3.5)
76% - 83% - good (4)
84% - 90% - fairly good (4.5)
91% - 97% - very good (5)
98% and above – excellent (5!)
Practical placement
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Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: