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Invention and innovation: An introduction

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Invention and innovation: An introduction
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This free course, Invention and innovation: An introduction, is for designers, engineers, technologists and anyone interested in designing and inventing. It is also for managers and consumers interested in innovation and technical change. The course will show you how design and innovation can create a more sustainable future. It will also help you understand how innovation comes about and will encourage thinking about environmental and social challenges for the future.

Course learning outcomes

After studying this course, you should be able to:

After studying this course, you should be able to:

  • explain invention, design, innovation and diffusion as ongoing processes with a range of factors affecting success at each stage
  • explain how particular products you use have a history of invention and improvement, and appreciate the role that you and your family, as consumers, have played in this history
  • define key concepts such as invention, design, innovation, diffusion, product champion, entrepreneur, sustaining and disruptive innovation
  • explain the role of intellectual property in invention and innovation and list the various ways that inventors can protect their ideas
  • identify the range of reasons that motivate individuals and organisations to invent.

First Published: 10/08/2012

Updated: 04/07/2019

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