The importance of innovation is reflected in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Sustainable Development Goal 9 specifically highlights the strong interrelations between industry, innovation and infrastructure, as industry is an important source of innovation, providing the technological solutions for environmentally sound development. Innovation is integral to a country’s performance as a key driver of economic transformation, and for developing countries, in particular, unleashing their innovation potential can facilitate their transition to the digital economy.

For most organizations, innovation is not an option—it has become key for reaching desired business sustainability within a rapidly changing world. However, a significant number of executives, business owners and entrepreneurs are dissatisfied with the results they are obtaining in this field. Most of them struggle to manage innovation effectively.

Aware of this challenge facing organizations worldwide, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) published the standard ISO 56002:2019 Innovation Management System – Guidance, setting the best practices to manage innovation activities effectively. This guidance document helps provide a way forward for managing innovation in all kinds of organizations, and especially in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Click here to buy a copy of the guidance document, and you can visit the ISO homepage to get a better understanding of the benefits of ISO standards.

The online training: managing innovation consists of seven modules designed to support individuals working in innovation activities. While it can be utilized by all types of organizations, examples have been conceived considering the problems faced by SMEs in this field.

The training presents the ISO 56002:2019 Innovation Management System – Guidance standard as a guiding tool to design, implement, maintain and continuously improve an innovation management system. It also presents knowledge to improve the performance and effectiveness of any innovation project, the principles forming the foundation of a sustainable innovation management system and the actions that can be taken to deploy them throughout an organization.

The seven training modules showcase the components constituting an innovation management system, while demonstrating how they are articulated with a holistic approach.

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