BOSTON, May 19, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- During the first day of panel discussions at Front End Innovation 2008, leading technology management and product development company, Sagentia (LSE:SGA), ran a day-long seminar on 'All You Ever Wanted to Know about the Front End of Innovation', a practical primer workshop for new practitioners and managers of innovation. The session introduced attendees to the most important aspects of innovation through a series of presentations and interactive exercises.
The hottest topics thus far include "what innovation really is"; the various stages of innovation (as opposed to process); and Opportunity Discovery. Front End of Innovation is produced jointly by The Product Development & Management Association and the Institute for International Research.
"IIR & the PDMA are delighted to welcome today's leading innovators at our 6th Annual Front End of Innovation Conference. Monday's activities have already sparked key debates on the future of Open Innovation, Corporate Sustainability and Innovation ROI. We're looking forward to what the next two days have in store," said Jennifer Finer, senior producer, IIR.
Front End of Innovation is regarded as one the most vital events for those seeking to learn more about innovation. The conference features top business leaders, including keynote presentations from: A.G. Lafley, CEO of P&G; Dean Kamen, inventor and entrepreneur; and technology expert Ray Kurzweil. In addition, representatives from leading multinational companies will lead sessions including: Bank of America, EMC, FortuneBrands, General Electric, Google, Intel, Michelin, Microsoft, Motorola, Starbucks and Unilever.
"Sagentia set out to provide a primer and a framework during the 'Everything you wanted to know about innovation' session. We covered the important basics of front end innovation, provided a foundation of understanding for the conference," said Geoff Waite, vice president of Sagentia Inc. "Over the next two days we want to share and explore key issues facing innovators as we all learn a set of tools for the front end of innovation."
Tomorrow, Waite will co-chair the "Anatomy of a Breakthrough" track with Anne Orban of Innovation Focus. That session also includes participation from Dow Chemical, FortuneBrands, PepsiCo, Plantronics Inc., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the Stevens Institute of Technology. The participants will take part in a facilitated interactive debate on how breakthrough technologies best develop.
"Innovation is a competitive process that must be used in developing countries like my native Brazil. It is clearly already used in the developed countries," said Dr. Nelson Guedes de Alcantara, executive director, Center for Charactization and Development of Materials, Federal University of San Carlos, Brazil. "By attending front end of innovation, we can update information and have conversations with experts and peers."
Additionally, the IIR has begun surveying conference attendees regarding a variety of topics; those details will be revealed tomorrow and Wednesday.
About Sagentia
Sagentia creates, develops and delivers business opportunities, products and services for its clients.
Established in 1986, Sagentia operates in six global market sectors -- medical, industrial products, consumer products, chemicals, materials & energy, telecoms & media and public sector -- developing new technologies, products and services that change the basis of competition. The company also assists business leaders to create strategies for technology, innovation and growth.
Sagentia's resources are situated in state-of-the-art facilities in Europe, the USA, and China.
Sagentia is listed on the London Stock Exchange (Sagentia Group, ticker: SGA) and has more than 200 employees.
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