Technology Entrepreneurship Development Workshop

Workshop Topics

The five-day workshop will cover four main themes:

1- Enhancing Entrepreneurial Culture and Creative Thinking

      Customized educational sessions will combine innovation best practices and case studies with practical tools for imaginative, strategic thinking and problem solving. Trainers will explore dimensions of creativity related to entrepreneurship.  Participants will learn how to create an organizational capacity for ongoing, sustainable innovation and learn about different national policies and business systems, and intellectual property rights (IPR) regimes. CRDF trainers and participants will discuss the process of generating ideas, creating and inspiring innovation, and overcoming challenges researchers typically face when taking new ideas forward.  In addition, the following topics will be discussed:

•  The role of executive leadership in driving growth through innovation;
• How to create a culture that fosters innovation;
• How to accelerate strategic investment decisions;
• How to establish different organizational models that promote and support innovation.

2- Fostering Innovation in Kuwait

      This session will provide an introduction to a variety of models used to evaluate inventions disclosure including cost assessments, industry standards, rules of thumb, discounted cash flow and equity. Participants will learn more about the different initiatives various governments implement to encourage innovation in R&D institutes, and ways to work with industry to address current market problems.  Participants will also learn how to arrive at reasonable royalty and license issue fees.  Trainers will talk also about the role of innovation and describe an innovation cycle. The session will be followed by a hands-on exercise to evaluate a simple invention.

3- Technology Incubation Strategies

These sessions will address the issue of developing various incubation models, and will analyze U.S. and European experiences.  Participants will learn about incubation management, tenant company development, sustainability and attracting private investments.  Participants and trainers will also discuss the challenges many countries face when they establish incubators, including building professional incubation teams, establishment of clear incubation strategies, finding specific market segment to address, etc.

4- Idea presentation

Participants will learn how to make their idea more appealing to investors and how to “pitch” their idea when given a tight deadline. All participants will polish their business ideas and present them in front of their peers.

Workshop Schedule

DAY 1: Sunday, December 6^th, 2009

• Innovation, Competition , and Economic Growth: Theory, Policy, and Practice
• The Role of the Government in Fostering Innovation
• R&D for Innovation
• Turning Invention into Innovation
• “Thinking Globally – Acting Locally”: International collaboration and information exchange platforms.

DAY 2: Monday, December 7^th, 2009

• Fostering Innovation Ecosystems: creating and supporting entrepreneurial culture, identifying and interlinking stakeholders, aligning priorities: government, business and S&T, creating viable linkages and networks based on shared values
• Creating World Class R&D Institutes: Importance of Fostering R&D and innovation links; responsiveness of research institutes to the market needs.
• The Role of R&D Institutes (different models of supporting R&D)
• Global Dynamics in S&T and innovation: what is next?

DAY 3:  Tuesday, December 8^th, 2009

1. Creating Technology Commercialization Infrastructure. Accelerating the commercialization of publicly-funded R&D.

• Incubation and Innovation Promotion: Lessons Learned
• Business accelerators (including virtual)
• Technoparks
• Science and Research parks
• Centers of excellence
• Special  economic zones
• Sources of funding
• Providers of professional services (legal, consulting, business development, personnel recruitment, accounting, etc.)
• Government programs supporting innovation: grants, offset programs, training workshops, networking events

Day 4: Wednesday, December 9^th, 2009

• Technology Valuation and Market Assessment
• IP: registration, protection, research
• Technology Valuation Exercises

Day 5: Thursday, December 10^th, 2009

• Creating High-Growth Enterprises: identifying value proposition to: entrepreneur/the team, the market/customers, the investors, other stakeholders, role of the entrepreneur, importance of the winning team, legal structure, launch, growth, and expansion strategies
• Business Planning: business, operation, marketing planning and due diligence
• Capital Formation: funding and exit strategies
• Effective Communication Strategies: investor presentations and networking tools

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