Students working with Global Engineering Company Elomatic

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In late 2016 a group of TUAS students, teachers and project workers together with Elomatic experts joined together to solve certain challenges in product development. Elomatic are a leading European consulting & engineering company and a global provider of 3D Plant & Ship Design Software Cadmatic with over 700 engineering professionals. 

As one aim of the FINCODA project is to test new forms of cooperation in enhancing innovation competencies in university-Company cooperation, the two FINCODA partners developed a programme to allow students to develop their own innovative capacity. This work, bringing together TUAS students and Elomatic experts, goes a long way in contributing to the university-business cooperation.  

How did it work?

The student groups consisted mainly of second year Energy and Environmental Engineering students who were facing a real-life design and development challenge for the first time in their university studies. Each group also had a more experienced student who had the opportunity to take on the role of project manager. In addition, the groups had three design students working with them as "consultants". Due to the multidisciplinary teams created, the concept 'Research Hatchery' was coined and the groups were ready to start work.

Each group presented a pitch of their work to Elomatic experts every week. The students received feedback as well as further support in continuing their work. They attended courses alongside these events to allow their innovative skills and competences to emerge and develop. Those who taught these modules took the role of a coach, rather than a traditional teacher, allowing the students to feel empowered and confident to work independently.

What were the outcomes?

The FINCODA Barometer Innovation Assessment Tool was used alongside the programme. They completed the barometer before the work began and then again at the end of the programme. The results of this pre and post assessment showed increases on some dimensions of innovation competence amongst the student groups. 

The module ended in the final seminar where all the products created by the student groups were presented to Elomatic. Feedback from the company showed that the results exceeded expectations and that some products will help Elomatic move forward with their product development activities, contributuing to the continued success of the company.

Validating the FINCODA Innovation Barometer

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Psychometric validation of a tool for Innovation Competencies Development and Assessment

Dr. René Butter and Wilke van Beest, HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht

The European Commission states that innovation is the main driver of economic growth in the EU. Accordingly, also universities of applied sciences are challenged to support students in developing their innovation skills. This effort is not limited to universities, but continues in business. The FINCODA (Framework for Innovation Competencies and Assessment) barometer is a formative online self-assessment tool for students and professionals that serves as a boundary object between the worlds of education and business. It raises awareness of what is needed to contribute successfully to innovation projects, teams or companies. It sheds more light on the benefits for students and professionals of participating in innovation projects. It also facilitates selection of innovators by supporting structured behavioural interviewing. Unlike most existing instruments, the FINCODA barometer has an adequate reliability and validity. The FINCODA dimensions show positive and significant correlations with self-rated and supervisor-rated innovative behaviour and qualitative examples of innovation success.

Download our paper here

Euram2017
 
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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!

7th FINCODA Partner Meeting

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FINCODA Joint Meeting 24th - 26th January 2017, Universitat Politècnica de Valencia, Valencia, Spain

It was the turn for the Universitat Politècnica de Valencia to host the next joint meeting for all FINCODA members and use the opportunity to present progress of all partner activities related to each of the work packages and deliverables on the project.

We've been busy since the previous partner meeting in Hamburg (September 2016).

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 Strong Focus on:

  • Software application and beta testing
  • "Rater" training for self and peer-assessment, feedback and reflection
  • Piloting activities in Finland, Spain, Germany, Netherlands and the UK
  • Communication activities of the project
  • Developing a MOOC
  • Tool validation activities
  • QA
  • Project administration

As always, the team at Valencia organised a very successful partner meeting and technical visit to commercial partnerCelestica. Visiting their plant at Pobla de Vallbona, a nearby town close to Valencia city, was very valuable for partners to observe how useful the work being done within the FINCODA project can be for an Organisation such as Celestica.

Since innovation is a priority for operating in the complex environment in which Celestica is settled, having the opportunity of explaining participants this dynamic company’s goals and main activities provided partners a better understanding of their needs as well as a further application of the FINCODA assessment tool in their own organisation.

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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!

Improving Innovation Workshop

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In late 2016, Fincoda project members based in the UK delivered an Innovation Workshop to a group of individuals from a variety of businesses ranging from one sole trader businesses to those with over 50 employees, across a range of industries. 

These individuals had the opportunity to complete the Fincoda Innovation survey before the workshop and attended the workshop in order to focus on improving their ability to innovate at work. This half day workshop allowed individuals to build their innovate capacity in each of the five areas of innovation indentified in the Fincoda model. They explored ways of increasing their creative 'juices', discussed and applied methods of critical thinking, and applied psycolgoical models of team function and influence to increase their ability to manage their 'innovation' or innovative idea through to completion. 

Following the workshop, the individuals completed the Fincoda Innovation survey again and their pre- and post-workshop scores were used to create a development report. This report marked their score differences before and after the capacity building workshop and gave them development tips for further improvement.