This project was for a Director of R&D in a global publicly-traded consumer products company with more than 30,000 employees. The goal was to scout a broad range of technologies that the sponsor could use to help accelerate innovation. The mandate was to find new technolologies and/or creative ways to leverage technology. Students conducted extensive research on the latest trends in various relevant sectors and emerging technologies. They identified companies with a reputation for innovation, analyzed the technologies they used and what could be learned. They investigated how these technologies were or could be integrated into existing workflows and innovation processes. Some key areas they explored included artificial intelligence/machine learning, big data analytics, cloud computing, genomics, the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, augmented/virtual reality and more. Intermediary reports helped the sponsor incrementally short-list specific areas, resulting in a deep-dive on a new technology that had not been on the R&D's radar before.

Keywords: Innovation, Emerging Technologies, AI