UT Austin Portugal focuses on the new movement of Responsible Innovation

Lamp with yellow glow

What does it mean to be responsible when innovating? Why is it different from social innovation? How do you develop such a process? These and other questions were answered in the advanced training course promoted by the UT Austin Portugal Program that took place on the 27th, 28th, 30th of September, and the 1st of October.

It is widely accepted that enterprises, whether for-profit or not, rely on the efficiency of their innovation capabilities to fuel their growth. Innovation, therefore, is one of the key levers that determine the long-term success of organizations. However, it is also known that innovation is a risky and expensive bet, and most innovation initiatives fail in achieving their economic goals. This high unsuccessful rate can be even higher because the focus is predominantly on the economy and not on the social and environmental elements of innovation.

This training activity intended to present an integrated approach aimed at helping for-profit organizations face these challenges and get the most out of their innovation efforts. The responsible innovation approach is based on the strategic combination of three core disciplines: innovation management, circular economy, and sustainable development, through the application of agile methodologies and international standards.

Coordinated by Fernando Almeida, Professor and Faculty Head at ISPGAYA and researcher at INESC TEC, this 12-hour online course, selected this year through the Program’s Call for Short-Term Advanced Training Programs, attracted about 50 participants around subjects such as “innovation for sustainable development”, “agile innovation”, “innovation management” or “productivity frameworks”.

Besides the coordinator, the sessions counted on the orientation of Froy Aparicio, Chief Executive Officer & Founder of Nächstes Level; José Morais, José Santos and João Monteiro, Professors at ISPGAYA; Rick Fernandez, Vice Chair US Technical Committee, IAOIP and ISO; Eduardo Espinheira, Manager and Founder of QA Value; and Pedro Carneiro, Head of WeSecure at WeMake.