An Innovation Process

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Competences needed to make it succeed

Meiju Räsänen, Ari Putkonen and Liisa Kairisto-Mertanen

Higher education represents a critical factor in innovation and human capital development on society, curricula and individual levels. As a learning outcome individual competence consists of knowledge, skills and attitudes. However, we have limited or even mysterious ideas how creative individuals utilize their competences during innovation processes and what kind of demands they meet. The aim of this exploratory study is to demonstrate how the different phases of an innovation process call for different kinds of innovation competences to produce successful results. The exploratory study considers the theories of innovation processes and innovation competences together and builds linkages between them. In the final contribution the integrated model of innovation process and competences will be introduced. This model helps education planners and teachers to develop higher education and pedagogical practices and students to understand the importance of innovation competences when they participate real development activities and innovation processes in working life.

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Oliver Caunt

Oliver Caunt is the Managing Director of family business, John Caunt Scientific Ltd, who specialise in nuclear instrumentation design and manufacture. Oliver relocated the business to the Bury in 2005 and has since overseen stable growth from £1m turnover to just under £2m.

With roots firmly established in the SME landscape, Oliver is a strong champion of entrepreurship and positive collaboration. He is a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses programme; has led a successful £1m grant application in collaboration with the University of Liverpool to develop world-class nuclear reactor safeguards and operations technology; is a member of a pan-European academic/commercial collaborative project- FINCODA - setup to establish a global standard tool to define and identify innovative competencies in people for the benefit of post graduates and employers; is a participant in the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's SME mentor programme; was nominated as one of the North West Insider Magazine's 42 under 42 (faces of the future) in 2012; was the best in class for Technology in the Made in Bury Business Awards 2013; a member of the IoD99 (Institute of Directors 99 select entrepreneurs) and is now a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Scientific Instrument Makers in London.

Oliver lives in Ramsbottom with his wife, Ivona, and 2 young children. He spends as much time as possible out in the countryside with the kids, the dog, running and on his mountain bike, as well as enjoying the many excellent local restaurants and pubs in the area!