Invention to Innovation: The Process of Translation

Ideas need to be translated before the world recognizes and benefits by innovation. In other words, not all inventions end up being useful to humanity or the environment. The bridge between conceptualization and practicality is in translation of ideas to practice. There are several historic examples of close ties between translation and innovation in US history and in the industrial world. Translation is closely associated both with innovation and disruption. The class intends to address specific challenges including the following. The businesses on their path to innovation are strongly rate-limited by the translation problems of new ideas. Many of the inventions often do not make it into the market place or are disrupted at multiple levels in ways that are generally unpredictable. The class intends to provide an understanding how disruptive innovations take place in the context of the larger frame of translation and a framework for traversing this difficult path. In addition to class lectures, practitioners who have been involved in the process of translation in the real world will be invited to share their experiences.