INNOFOOD - Innovating Food Value Chain Innovations: Novel Management Perspectives on New Product Development - From Simulation to Reality
The one-week intensive INNOFOOD course for master- and doctoral students, young researchers and professionals provides novel managerial perspectives and tools for successfully managing product development projects in food value chains.
Focusing on both the individual manager and product development teams, INNOFOOD guides participants to avoid costly mistakes, blind alleys and the loss of employee motivation that often impedes innovation performance.
INNOFOOD will enable participants to describe and critically analyze key managerial and decision processes involved when developing a new food product, both in a startup context, as well as in the case of an established company. The course is delivered by leading experts in their field (Prof. Avraham Shtub, Stephen and Sharon Seiden Professor of Project Management, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology & Prof. Bodo Steiner, Professor of Food Economics & Business Management, University of Helsinki), and innovates by integrating multiple teaching formats with a project management simulator for new food product development and first-hand managerial industry insights on product development from world-leading companies, including Nestlé, Strauss Group and Finnish food businesses.
INNOFOOD will contribute to educating future innovation professionals in support of an innovative, competitive and sustainable global food system.
For any questions please contact the following email: valerio.canale@helsinki.fi (application deadline 30 June).
Dates
This intensive and interactive learning week will take place between the 7th (first day of lecture) and the 11th (final day) of September. It will be held at the University of Helsinki, Finland.
You can apply here and please keep in mind that the application deadline is the 30th of June.
Important: the course will be held ONLINEif COVID-19 restrictions will not allow to have a face-to-face experience. While we aim to let participants know as early as possible whether the course will be held online or not, the latest envisaged point by which you will hear from us regarding this potential shift to online format is four weeks prior to course start, i.e. August 7, 2020.
What to expect
During the course, each participant will:
Develop a project plan & simulate its excution for a real project of his-/her company.
Be able to select the right product based on value (voice of the customer), cost, me-to-market & risks.
Be able to develop a feasible plan for the new NFPD.
Be able to execute the plan in an uncertain dynamic environment using the right tools and techniques.
Be able to take into account the working environment (employee motivation associated with the product development team) in planning and executing for improved food product development.
Be able to present her project plan and simulation exercise to a prize competition committee, which includes company representatives that partner with this project.
Industry insights on food product development from World-leading companies, and Finnish leading agri-food companies.
Learning outcomes and target audience
The course is designed for inidividuals who are about to enter the innovation-focused workforce, or who are currently involved in food products development in food businesses.
Specifically, the course will help the participants to:
Understand the professional terminology of New Product Development, and the specifics relevant to the food industry;
Plan and manage new food product development projects from start to finish, in a dynamic market;
Solve new food product development problems independently or as part of a team:
Map the stakeholders effectively, understand their needs and expectations;
Translate the needs and expectations of the stakeholders into product specifications;
Define the value added by a proposed New Product Development project;
Generate and analyze alternative plans for the New Product Development project;
Articulate the tradeoff between the costs & benefits of alternative plans for a NPD project
Define and apply critical success factors for the NPD Project;
Improve own and co-workers' innovation performance through critically understanding & effectively managing innovation motivation drivers.
Other key features
The participants will be offered free accomodation from the day of their arrival (6th of September) until the 11th (5 nights).
Lunch, snacks and coffee/tea are provided every day for free
