{"id":155314,"date":"2023-02-02T16:44:20","date_gmt":"2023-02-02T16:44:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tecscience.tec.mx\/en\/?p=155314"},"modified":"2023-08-03T00:27:39","modified_gmt":"2023-08-03T00:27:39","slug":"what-is-technological-innovation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tecscience.tec.mx\/en\/business-innovation\/what-is-technological-innovation\/","title":{"rendered":"What is technological innovation? How do you achieve it?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The concept of innovation was first introduced in 1934 to talk about new ideas that are successfully applied. It has undergone many transformations over time. We explain what<\/strong> is<\/strong> technological innovation.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is technological innovation?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019re the new creations that occurred in the industrial field in the eighties and nineties. These marked a milestone in history, reminding us that science transforms societies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, technological innovation<\/strong> triggers decisive changes to traditional ways of doing or producing \u201csomething\u201d (such as technological changes). However, few projects reach this level of disruption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCompanies innovate a lot. The issue is that their innovations aren\u2019t so novel to become incorporated internationally. There isn\u2019t much innovation based on research and development, particularly when it comes to introducing something new internationally,\u201d says Gabriela Dutr\u00e9nit Bielous<\/strong>, an expert in innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Mexico, there are three regions<\/strong> that are leading the way for technological innovation in three main fields: medical devices, aerospace technology, and the automotive industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nuevo Le\u00f3n<\/strong> ranks first, with 10 research and development centers focused on very different areas, such as nanotechnology, biotechnology, mechatronics, advanced manufacturing, information technologies, sustainable housing, health, clean energy, and advanced materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In second place is Quer\u00e9taro<\/strong>, where there\u2019s an ecosystem focused on the development of aerospace and automotive technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is followed by the border area of Baja California<\/strong>, which has established a bi-national node with San Diego for the development of medical devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Evolution of the concept of innovation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is defined as the introduction of a new product or process in the market <\/strong>and has different degrees of intensity.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, initially it only referred to technological innovations in the technical area. Then organizational changes and innovations in business models were introduced, scaling up to different sectors such as services, agriculture, and even the public sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a concept that\u2019s been evolving. Even today, we talk about social innovation related to the needs of the population,\u201d says Gabriela Dutr\u00e9nit Bielous, a specialist in science and technology policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For 20 years, new concepts of innovation have emerged as a response to social contexts and have incorporated aspects of sustainability<\/a> and social inclusion, giving rise to other innovations, such as inclusive innovation, grassroots innovation, frugal innovation, and social innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why it\u2019s important to innovate and what is needed to do so<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The production, exploitation, and dissemination of knowledge are indispensable for the economic growth, development, and wellbeing of nations, according to the Oslo Manual<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Dutr\u00e9nit Bielous<\/strong>, in order to innovate based on knowledge, a change in culture is needed, motivated by changes in the contexts, as well as public programs that force innovation \u2013which should be sustained over time, because nowadays every time they change, companies have to adapt again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the public policy level, there\u2019s a need for companies to have a greater participation to first define what the main problems are for innovation and entrepreneurship. They also need to assume more commitments in the sense of contributing resources to the system as a whole or to the centers that generate knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Dutr\u00e9nit, the role of universities is to be generators of knowledge. In that role, they can generate useful knowledge for society, government, and business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The challenge for universities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to Alfonso \u00c1vila Robinson<\/a>, from Tec de Monterrey\u2019s<\/a> EGADE Business School, universities have at least three challenges<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n