Innovation conference '09 coming to QUT

QUT will host the 2009 International Continuous Innovation Networks (CINet) conference, giving Brisbane businesses a chance to hear about international research into business innovation and to share local examples of innovative practice.
Chair of the Organising Committee Dr Karen Becker, a lecturer in the Faculty of Business, said the conference was held in a different country every year - including Spain, Sweden and Italy in the past - and it was an honour for Queensland University of Technology to host the event next year.

"These conferences are an opportunity for successful businesspeople and senior academics from all over Europe, Australia and South-East Asia to get together and discuss research relating to innovation happening around the world," she said.
"We are very pleased to have the opportunity to host next year's conference, which is all about managing innovation and embedding innovative practice in organisations.

"There will be workshops, opportunities for students and early career researchers to engage with prominent, senior academics, and the conference itself, so it is a great opportunity for QUT and local organisations to network in the international business arena and for Queensland businesses to showcase their innovations."

She said there were four main types of innovation being discussed: Product or service innovation, process innovation, positioning innovation and paradigm innovation.

"New products or services are probably the types of innovation that most of us think of but there is also innovation relating to internal organisation or business practice, positioning innovation is about different approaches to marketing and reframing target audiences, and paradigm innovation involves coming up with a totally new way of doing business," Dr Becker said.

Some of the areas being discussed at the conference will include creative industry innovation, human resource issues, cross-cultural innovation, entrepreneurship, eco-innovation and more. The annual conferences held by CINet began 14 years ago and involve members from Europe, South-East Asia and Australia.

CINet will be held at QUT from September 5 - 8, 2009 and any businesses or individuals interested in presenting their innovations, either as a case study or in a trade display, are encouraged to make contact with the organising committee via Dr Becker.

For more information about the conference, contact Dr Becker on karen.becker@qut.edu.au