Eureka and New Electronics magazines joined forces with Cranfield School of Management to create the Innovation and Design Excellence Awards. The single-minded aim being to recognise and celebrate the critical role played by both engineering and electronic product design teams. Using the same formula as the well established Best Factory Awards, the judging standards are equally rigorous and the winners really are the best of the best. These are businesses that have recognised that creativity and design innovation are the critical elements of continually improving and reinvigorating themselves to stay ahead of the competition.

Innovation Conference

Many companies recognise that design innovation and creativity are the way forward. “Competing on price” is no longer an option in today’s highly competitive market. “Business as usual” does not work – and requires a new and radical agenda that embraces innovation.

But there is a huge gap between seeing this and putting it into practice. Innovation is difficult – but when applied properly can have a real effect on company performance. Creating an innovative environment is about more than simply designing new or improved products. It often demands a complete culture change – and a transformation of business practices.

This is why Eureka and New Electronics have joined forces with Cranfield School of Management to create The Innovation Conference

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Awards

An opportunity to gain the recognition your design team deserves.

The judging standards will be rigorous but if you can answer yes to any of the following questions, you should be entering the 2007 Awards:

In the last three years, has your company:

• Launched a product that dramatically changed its business?
• Developed a product or subsystem that has dramatically changed a customer’s business?
• Made a strategic investment in developing employees’ creative and problem solving skills?
• Instituted cross-functional new product development teams?
• Changed the way it develops new products?

Does your company:

• Work closely with its customers when developing new products?
• Put innovation at the top of the agenda when developing new products?
• Pride itself on turning ideas into reality?

If your company has already recognised that creativity and design innovation are the key elements of succeeding in fiercely competitive international markets, then the Innovation & Design Excellence Awards (iDEA) are a tremendous opportunity to gain high profile, national recognition for that foresight. It is also a great opportunity to test against the best, not only for product innovation but also for people and process expertise.

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