Innovation Passport: IBM's First-of-a-Kind Journey from Research to Reality

Abstract

Going from invention to product or service has never been easy. With the increasing complexity of challenges and opportunities, many vital innovations can only be developed with partners. Such collaborations face challenges of culture, trust and geography. Innovation Passport tells the story of IBM's First-of-a-Kind (FOAK) program, Over the last 10 years, FOAK has taken hundreds of research assets and road tested them with its most valued clients. The program has stepped up to the demands of combining teams, often from different countries, to refine and tune inventions. At every step, commercialization remains a focus so that successful projects lead to successful offerings. This talk will take the audience through the time-tested FOAK process. They'll also get tips, guidance and more than a little caution. This presentation is for those who want to better understand technology transfer and how to make it happen themselves.