Search terms
To be a great leader in any trade, one must also be a diligent learner. The two go hand-in-hand, especially in a connected world where strategies are being redrawn and business models recalibrated in quite disruptive ways.
Which was why, in the Research Centennial year, Philips was eager to host one of the year’s most prestigious forums for Europe’s corporate innovation leaders. October’s European Industrial Research Management Association’s CTO conference brought together visionary innovation executives at the High Tech Campus and in the Philips Museum in Eindhoven.
The event was valuable not just for what was said, but for what was shared. It embodied the true spirit of collaboration, central to the Philips philosophy throughout its century of research and innovation.
The agenda of the meeting could not have been more appropriate for us, as the CTO Forum focused on pivotal changes in company strategy driven by societal transformation and disruptive innovation. All of which are changes that businesses must make in order to stay relevant, or to even survive.
In an environment of perpetual flux, uncertain futures and extraordinary opportunities, corporations are adapting to the digitization of society and to addressing the planet’s most important issues – ageing populations, increased urbanization, strengthening society, and protecting our most precious natural resources.
The solutions and approaches presented – from companies as diverse as computer chip maker Intel and global life sciences and materials sciences firm DSM, next to Philips – provided valuable lessons in how businesses can change to drive new growth. They weren’t simply presentations, but dialogues between leaders whose entrepreneurial urge to learn is greater than ever.
We discussed how research and development strategies have changed to incorporate increased agility in experimenting with smart solutions and approaches. We discussed best practices to improve internal collaborations so that teams no longer work in silos. We spoke of leveraging our depth of knowledge and reputation to exploit new global opportunities. And we debated how digital innovations can be brought to market faster and scaled at speed through the use of big data and analytics.
A recurring theme in all presentations was Open Innovation, which is progressing to a higher level: true ecosystem innovation, often referred to as OI 2.0. Creating solutions for smart cities is a clear example that requires a ‘Quadruple Helix innovation model’ – in which businesses, city municipalities, research institutes and citizens co-create solutions for local issues. A great dinner speech by Rob van Gijzel, the Mayor of Eindhoven, reinforced this vision, and was much appreciated by all present.
So it was appropriate that we showed the Forum’s members some of the key innovation centers at the High Tech Campus, which is a pioneering ecosystem for open innovation and co-creation, where teams pursue problem-focused, rather than just technology-focused innovations.
For instance, LED systems that light the world’s most remote communities, medical devices that allow patients with chronic conditions to lead independent lives, and smartphone-enabled apps that can transform life in urban environments.
Speeding up innovation was also very much a theme of this year’s event – of thought as well as action. But there is an old French saying which loosely translated means: ‘Don’t run so fast – it is better to start early.’ Of course speed and agility, in a complex digital world, has become much more essential to innovation. But it is even more important to anticipate the market’s future direction by widening our perspectives and listening to voices from beyond the confines of our respective businesses. To be aware of how things will be changing, to understand the needs of the consumer and society with foresight and clarity, to create early intellectual property (IP) and product or service concepts - and then to pursue those goals with determination.
Together, we learned that creating a sizable new business within an existing company requires consistency of purpose, mind set and action. Changing direction too soon or too frequently just leads to waste – an unfortunate result of many approaches to corporate venturing. That is why creating a significant emerging business area within a big company requires having a coherent pipeline of ventures all aimed at one consistent business vision.
One simply has to accept the fact of life that not all ventures tried will be successful. But with a coherent approach, even a failed venture will provide valuable know-how and IP, and the lessons learned will be applicable to the rest of the pipeline.
The kind of agility and willingness to experiment required is absolutely part of the Philips DNA – we have a track record of starting new ventures that often led to great new companies. Now that we have a much more focused strategy, new opportunities present themselves for us. Our chances to succeed will be increased because of our collective passion to create meaningful innovations, and the full commitment of our management to develop winning business strategies in our chosen fields of healthcare, healthy living and lighting solutions.
Philips Research and Philips Innovation Services (both at the Eindhoven High Tech Campus), as well as the entrepreneurial city of Eindhoven, embody everything that our visiting CTOs spoke of – a need to be agile, meaningful, entrepreneurial, collaborative and open to reinvention.
That is why hosting this year’s forum proved so inspirational. It showed that by learning from each other and building partnerships, we can refashion the way business is conducted, and persuade governments at all levels, as well as other key stakeholders, that collaborative innovation can truly transform society.
Dutch-born Henk van Houten joined Philips Research in 1985, where he investigated quantum transport phenomena in semiconductor nanostructures – work awarded with the Royal Dutch Shell prize.
Follow Henk van on
How an athlete’s passion helps him live with COPD
Russell Winwood was diagnosed with COPD in 2011 and has since become an inspiration for other patients. We take a look at his story.
Will 2017 be a turning point in the war against cancer?
Charting the path of the Cancer Moonshot
Putting tumors in the picture: the power and evolution of image guided therapy
Five reasons I am looking forward to CES
Interventional labs must evolve to meet increasing demand, improve outcomes and deliver value
Using Intelligence to Improve Care
Connecting the radiologist to a patient’s health journey
Can MR touch more lives?
Radiation Safety and the Growing Importance of Hospital IT Interoperability
Addressing the caregiver burden with connected devices
Unlocking the body’s most complex organ
Can App-Based Point-of-Care Ultrasound Improve Emergency Care? Absolutely.
Innovating to drive China’s R&D transformation
Effective, Empowering and Life-Changing: New blue light therapy with Philips BlueControl – a big step for psoriasis treatment and patients’ lives
Innovations in Radiotherapy Guidance: Taking Patient Care into Tomorrow
Radiation: to be respected, not feared in the interventional setting
Fall Prevention Awareness Week: Aging Well Means Addressing the Risk
The advantages of proactive - rather than reactive - maintenance and repair
Does healthcare understand the ‘on demand’ consumer?
Access to healthcare is a challenge beyond the Brazil Games
Genomics: decoding the future
The healthcare landscape is changing; and so are we
How connected health technology is making the home the preferred place for care
Calling out for better prenatal care
How mobile phones are connecting high-risk pregnant women to the highest level of care
Philips means quality
Innovative solutions addressing challenges of complex cardiovascular disease
BYOD: Delivering on the promise of connected health
The Road Ahead: The Future of Radiology Needs Radiation Safety Programs
Partnering to ensure Sustainable Healthcare for All by 2030
The future of oral healthcare
An innovative response scenario to ageing and chronic disease in ASEAN countries
Knowledge is power: How doctors can be at their best
Examining Digital Pathology’s Increasingly Important Role in Care
Synergy, success, and SWIp
IP strategy is now a defensive necessity
Show and Tell: Working with Augusta University to Transform Healthcare
Designing the future
How Philips scanners brought Pompeii to life
Psoriasis: Putting the needs of patients at the front line
Prioritizing the personal touch
Making a real difference by “getting things right”
Improving diagnostic process and speeding up treatment pathways
Building a smart and conncected organization
Circular economy by design
The value of good oral health
7 tips to improve your sleep habits
Design innovations in sleep
Why a free health clinic in Seattle was priceless
Winning with connected systems
Preventing illness, prolonging health
Connectivity and data analytics will reinvent radiology
Managing the data explosion
Population health management: the barriers, benefits and bridges
Connected technologies link hospital to home and improve patient care
HIMSS16: Thought leaders preview this year’s event
The big healthcare power shift: from provider to patient
Innovation: the force driving change in the health continuum
Power to the people
The conversation about cancer everyone should have
Blogpost title
Using meaningful innovation to improve cancer treatment
Lighting the way to a better world
Turning tools into solutions: radiation dose management in 2016 - Philips
Monitoring pregnancies using mobile solutions
Changing health care models drive radiology into center of patient care
The value of Family Centered Care
Innovative partnerships with hospitals
Today’s radiologist, tomorrow’s data scientist
Enabling more impactful radiology solutions for cancer care through co-creation
Using clinically relevant technology to improve cardiology solutions
How imaging and data intelligence can improve population health management - Philips
UNICEF and Philips: working together to achieve sustainable development goals
The rise of the personal health journey
The Philips-Mackenzie Health partnership model for transforming care delivery - Philips
Innovative ideas from the Dutch Open Hackathon - Philips
Achieving enhanced mother and child care - Philips
Improving health with new solutions - Philips
The future of radiation oncology- Philips
Making the world healthier through design-doing
Why it’s good to talk
Innovating across the health continuum
Designs on changing disaster relief
Defining the Future of Image Guided Therapy
Happy 123rd Birthday, Philips!
A legacy to help my fellow patients
Welcome to the "Agingwell Hub"
New Joint Commissions Radiation Dose Standards: What They Mean and How to Tackle Them
United, we can make a better world
Introducing Collectively: The change we need to see in the world
Seeing is believing: The power of innovation
Mobile phones and fridges changing breastfeeding in Africa one tech at a time
The White House Conference on Aging: My Three Key Insights
Together, we can create a circular future
Lighting, beyond illumination
Social media: Why one size does not fit all
Innovation and You
“Dare to be radical” An open letter to Millennials
Talking strategy and performance
Connected solution to our healthcare crisis
Innovative spirit: How Africa is turning obstacles into opportunities
As partners, we can create a healthcare revolution in Europe
In the International Year of Light, we can end light poverty
Lighting up their lives
The virtual nurse is here
Being entrepreneurial: Lessons we learned from a tech start-up
Co-creating with Philips at South by Southwest
The secret of success at Dreamforce
Building trust: How digital data can be used to improve lives
Social Media: Why we need to adopt platform personalities
The future is social: The importance of making meaningful connections
When collaboration meets competition: The real lessons from the Dutch Open Hackathon
How innovation can drive business transformation
Think Tomorrow – Co-creating ecosystem innovation for a digital society
100 years of Philips Research: Reinventing ourselves to stay fit for the future
Why sustainability is at the heart of health
The Radiation Dose Dilemma: Risk, Rewards and the Real Story
Helping consumers with chronic conditions live healthier lives
How the Internet of Things is revolutionizing healthcare
HIMSS 2015: Inside the Minds of Healthcare IT Leadership
Using procurement power to improve lives in the DR Congo
Reshaping the Role of Radiology
Moving Forward with Interoperability: How Patients Will Drive Change
Healthcare IT through the lens of emerging markets
Shifting the paradigm: how innovation is driving Procurement
Good business: Why placing ethics over profits pays off
The future is bright: Delivering the Philips Gift of Light
Mastering the art of failure: Learning to become an adaptive organization
The digitization of cross-channel marketing
What innovation means to me
The Nobel Prize that has lit all of our lives
Kicking goals: How Philips lights are transforming cities
Why necessity may no longer be the mother of invention
How the youth of Latam are leading the charge for change
How the Internet of Things empowers us all
The dawn of the Age of Health
Science fiction? No, the OLED will change our lives now
How smart technology can lead to healthier lives
Minimally invasive procedures: a continually expanding frontier
Learnings from SNMMI: What’s shaping the future of nuclear and molecular imaging?
Creating a culture of collaboration to drive open innovation
Catalysing the transition to the circular economy
Heart to heart
Why design awards are not only about a shiny plaque
Design Thinking is Dead. Long Live Design Thinking.
The power of hackathons: When innovation goes open source
Connected lighting for smart and livable cities
Driving sustainable progress in a connected world
Digital transformation: Increasing the vitality of China’s health system
Are we on the cusp of a new economic revolution?
The Future of HealthTech – Top Three Priorities for Nurses on the Front Lines
Innovation comes from within: how to align innovation with marketing
How the private sector can drive developmental growth
Hacking for a healthier future
Living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Three trends that will create Radiology without Borders
Asking the Right Questions: The Road to Definitive Diagnosis
Innovation That Matters to You... and Fast Company
Big Data: Can it really change our lives?
Leading the way
A new business model for a better future
Realizing a better future faster: What we learned at the 1776 Challenge Festival
Bringing pride back to the community
WEF: a forum for innovation, equality and change
Our innovation is proof that the customer knows best
The power of lighting: How LEDs are helping to transform communities
New kinds of partnerships to change the world
Smart home? Let’s think of the caring home
A new era of sustainability: Why prevention is better than a cure
How circular thinking could improve people's lives
A growing tree needs healthy roots: Building on the potential of ASEAN health systems
Connected co-operation: Improving health care for mothers and children in South-East Asia