Innovating for Sustainability

Dr. Tima Bansal (Ivey Business School), Dr. Joel Gehman (University of Alberta), and Dr. Marie-France Turcotte (Université du Québec à Montréal) have been awarded a $2.5 million grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada to research business-driven innovations for sustainable development.

This research program aims to improve the efficiency and efficacy of firms’ innovation processes. Working with participating firms, we aim to build capacity by bringing to bear the best research and insights in the change process. Specifically, we will provide concrete recommendations that address how businesses can systematically innovate to improve performance and reduce costs while creating value for society.

The research program for each company will be co-designed with the research team to best meet each organization’s needs. However, the broad steps are:

  1. Observe and map current innovation processes to document what’s happening – and what it means for your company’s innovation outcomes.
  2. Identify opportunities to create more shared value based on leading edge global research, our team of researchers and advisors, and our work with other firms.
  3. Recommend changes to these processes, which the firm can review to identify those that best fit with strategy, culture, and priorities.
  4. Observe the efficacy of those changes on innovation and sustainability outcomes (optional Phase 2).
  5. Apply, amplify and accelerate the learnings through peer-to-peer sharing of non-competitive among participating companies. Peer-to-peer meetings will involve leading innovation researchers and innovators from around the world.

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To participate in the research, please contact us.