Whenever we attending events concerning or related to innovation, or check the press and news, talk about innovation is mostly about technology. Certainly technology is a crucial part of innovation but not the only one. However, having said that, in the social and health care sectors in which our company operates, technology is again the centric part of the whole innovation process.
But there is internationally a big change going on as the social sector is globally gaining importance, and starting to play a new role. This means that a whole big sector is entering the scene which can be expected to influence the process of innovation as we know it now a day. I therefore I consider the future of innovation...
...to be DEMOCRATIC: IKEA has already demonstrated that design can also be democratic; there will be companies which will also demonstrate that innovation will not be dedicated to engineers or specific innovation companies, technological centres, etc. Innovation will be opened to all types and sizes of companies, not just the technology ones, and also to other types of actors.
...to be USER-CENTRED: The end-user will be central, in many cases even play a leading role in the whole innovation process, from the very beginning. Innovation for all, with all.
...to be VISIBLE: Many innovation results still end up in the 'back-room' of the innovation centres, waiting for someone who is able to finish the whole process of integrating them into a new or existing product. The profits of innovation will be visible to all actors allowing hybridising new products for the same or other markets.
...to be INVISIBLE: On the other hand, the results of innovation will be integrated into products, materials, etc. and services, processes, etc. in a way that the end-user will not perceive their existence, they will just use it.
...to be NEAR-TO-MARKET: If different players are participating in the innovation process, let's call it perhaps CO-INNOVATION, the possibility that the new products, processes and services are easily and faster accepted by other players and the end-users is higher; this will, in the end, allow companies to obtain faster direct benefits from their innovation process and motivate them and other companies to (re)invest in innovation.
Talking concretely about the care sector, innovation is going to be present in the near future, not only in the design of products that will directly allow the users and carers to improve the quality of life of the person, but it will also allow the development of new forms of buildings, gardens, spaces, etc. not just for making the environments accessible to all users, but also for improving their feeling of "being at home", controlling their environment, generally speaking, improving their quality of life. This is very important for all people, but even more for the elderly, the disabled people and the people with a dementia.
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