The process of globalization has encouraged Multinational companies to spread their branches and offices all over the world. Globalization has inevitably kindled keen competition in the operations of all business. This competition has generated a need among all the enterprises, and especially SMEs, to adjust their strategies for their survival. Taking advantage of their size and strength, most multinational companies are developing critical sets of competitive intelligence tools based on technologies, commercial and marketing intelligence. SMEs, on the other hand, for their small size and lack of skills in technology development are in a disadvantaged position to compete with the large firms in the global arena.

Today, shorter technology and product life cycles increasingly force companies to provide new products and services at frequent intervals to the market. Dealing with innovations is essential for success, yet generating systematic ideas, filtering the right ideas quickly and strategically and implementing them is a critical and serious process. There are comprehensive tools and methods of “systematic innovation” that can provide vital support for this process. The Degree Programmes in Innovation Management have a high level of competence and experience in this special discipline and integrate it in extra-occupational training.

Based on the degree programmes’ competences and close contact with the industry and together with business partners ZETA Biotechnik GmbH, STARMANN Metallbau GmbH and AT&S Austria Technologie & Systemtechnik AG, special qualification measures were implemented in the partners’ businesses. By expanding the competences of staff members of the respective engineering core team in creativity engineering and TRIZ was improved. The aim was to transfer practice-oriented knowledge with regard to implementing innovations for the respective expert teams with a technological background.

The probability of success of new products and services on the market depend heavily on the orientation of developments towards meeting customer needs. The earlier and more structured the needs are identified in the innovation process and are integrated into development, the smaller the chances of flopping on the market. FOKUS is a research project for developing and testing an SMB-applicable set of methods and tools based on two cases in business practice.

INNOLAB is a comprehensive research project run since 2007. Individual inventors and innovators in successful companies face the constant challenge of successfully implementing innovations. INNOLAB is considered the first contact for inventors and bearers of ideas who are looking for professional support for their personal and partly challenging invention and innovation process.

In an innovative environment and in times of knowledge economy, the transfer of know how is a central factor for a company’s competitiveness. The business model developed in the course of the research project EraSME aims to integrate IP into the business management of SMBs and to raise greater awareness for immaterial property and its significance as tradable resources.

The research project STRATIM (Strategic Innovation Management) served to develop an approach applicable to SMBs that enables SMBs to professionally and strategically manage innovations by selecting the appropriate tools and methods.