Fusion Coursework  

Design and Creativity

This course seeks to expose students to the fundamentals of intellectual asset creation, namely human curiosity, experimentation and creativity.  A survey of the origins and history of developed approaches to intellectual asset capture and application will provide students an understanding of the framework of modern patent and information systems and aligned value-capture mechanisms. 

Exploration of the interface among technology, perceived value, and business opportunity will introduce students to modern approaches in innovation, including need-inspired design, collaboration, open innovation and structured innovation. 

This course will examine the following:

(a) What is the "process" of innovation? Innovation can arise through Discovery, Design and a Focused Exploration of needs and solutions. We will examine the dynamics, drivers and relative outcomes that arise from these different approaches to innovation.

(b) How can we systematically approach the challenge of innovation? We will examine specific systems of internal and collaborative innovation, gaining an understanding of the circumstance that can help make these systems more effective.

(c) How can organizations manage the innovation process? Whether internal or as a function of collaborative approaches, organizations must manage the competitive, economic and human tensions inherent in attempting to invest in innovation.

We will explore systematic approaches to incentivizing individual innovation, approaches to disclosure & cultivation and building sustainable relationships between innovators and their partners.

By the end of the course, students will have developed skills in needs assessment, experimental design, and knowledge sourcing.  This will serves as the bases for intellectual property protection and aligned opportunity assessment that will be presented in the next course.