Over the recent years, the importance of innovation in academic R&D projects has increased. Never... more Over the recent years, the importance of innovation in academic R&D projects has increased. Nevertheless, innovation facilitation in the academic field has rarely been researched. Currently, innovation support focuses on the industrial context. In our study we aim to address this research gap and examine the facilitation of innovation in the academic and the industrial context. In our abductive empirical case study, we investigate the role, skills, mindset and instruments of innovation facilitators by interviewing 25 individuals from nine organizations. We discovered different behaviors and perspectives in dealing with innovation work, depending on the context of the either academic or industry-driven projects. Academic innovation projects focus on feasibility, whereas industry-driven projects focus on viability. In both contexts, the facilitators usually intend to include the user perspective (desirability). With our results we contribute to the facilitation literature and show tha...
Managing Knowledge, Absorptive Capacity and Innovation
Absorptive capacity (AC) describes new knowledge absorption and its use for innovation on an orga... more Absorptive capacity (AC) describes new knowledge absorption and its use for innovation on an organisational level. In this paper, we explore the role of individual AC (IAC) for corporate innovation. We focus on the individual and relationships among the capability dimensions of existing AC models. A quantitative online survey allows us to empirically explore and underline the role of the individual in AC. Our findings contribute to and extend existing theories of AC, by confirming the multidimensionality of IAC, shed light on the view of transformation and exploitation as alternative paths and their effect on different innovation processes. Our research highlights the individual’s central role in innovation and introduces, explores and evaluates individual capacities to absorb new knowledge. This in consequence will influence processes and structures within a company with regard to innovation and human resource management.
According to the WHO, childhood obesity is one of the most serious public health challenges of th... more According to the WHO, childhood obesity is one of the most serious public health challenges of the twenty-first century. In this context, finding ways to make the healthier food choices the preferred ones can be a valuable contribution to solving this multifaceted problem. Sensory and consumer science offers a wide range of tools that can support the development of healthy and well-accepted food alternatives. In traditional sensory and consumer science, children would be involved in the product development process either as testers or informants. However, in our opinion, it would be valuable to extend their role to co-creators or co-designers, an approach already more established in the field of innovation and design, where children actively participate in the idea generation and development of healthy food that they will like and choose. Our own experience has shown that involving children in the idea-generation step for healthy food can be highly motivating and stimulating for the...
Unsustainable food production and consumption contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and global w... more Unsustainable food production and consumption contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. Adopting a more plant-based diet has been identified as a necessary change toward a more sustainable food system. In response to the call for transdisciplinary research on the sustainability of food consumption, this exploratory study combined consumer science, nutrition and health, sustainability research, and innovation to develop a new approach that can accelerate the shift toward a more sustainable diet. Quantitative data on the eating habits and attitudes of 1785 consumers was combined with data on environmental impacts via a life cycle assessment for different consumer segments. We studied the sustainable dietary shift using the diffusion of innovation theory, as well as qualitative and quantitative approaches. We identified and characterized seven consumer segments and related habits and attitudes toward an increase in plant-based foods and meat reduction. The nutritional ...
The innovation management literature describes a competitive advantage when applying Design Think... more The innovation management literature describes a competitive advantage when applying Design Thinking (DT) in corporate environments. In this paper we study the perceived challenges, enablers, and benefits for implementing DT in publicly funded transdisciplinary industry-academia research and innovation consortia (RIC). We facilitate and investigate five large RIC from the food and high-tech industry in Norway and Germany using an explorative qualitative action research design. Our research shows that the challenges of using DT in RIC are to some extent comparable to those for the corporate context. Additionally, we identify distinct challenges for RIC. Benefits from using DT in RIC are stronger user and innovation focus, better transdisciplinary collaboration, and triangulation of qualitative with scientific data. We suggest that complex RIC benefit from an intermediary (DT) role translating business needs into research questions, and research results into understandable and busines...
Absorptive capacity (AC) describes new knowledge absorption and its use for innovation on an orga... more Absorptive capacity (AC) describes new knowledge absorption and its use for innovation on an organisational level. In this paper, we explore the role of individual AC (IAC) for corporate innovation. We focus on the individual and relationships among the capability dimensions of existing AC models. A quantitative online survey allows us to empirically explore and underline the role of the individual in AC. Our findings contribute to and extend existing theories of AC, by confirming the multidimensionality of IAC, shed light on the view of transformation and exploitation as alternative paths and their effect on different innovation processes. Our research highlights the individual’s central role in innovation and introduces, explores and evaluates individual capacities to absorb new knowledge. This in consequence will influence processes and structures within a company with regard to innovation and human resource management.
Aminopropyl amyloses with various degrees of substitution (DS) were prepared and investigated wit... more Aminopropyl amyloses with various degrees of substitution (DS) were prepared and investigated with respect to their surface modification properties. Poly(acrylic acid) was grafted to plasma-activated PVDF films, and the functional amylose was bound via amide linkage formation. Layer formation was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Contact angle measurements and surface MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry indicated a hydrophilic surface and minimization of protein adsorption.
The potential of O-aminopropyl amylose (APA) for the stabilization of horseradish peroxidase (POD... more The potential of O-aminopropyl amylose (APA) for the stabilization of horseradish peroxidase (POD) was comprehensively studied in this research. The addition of APA was capable of stabilizing POD against heat inactivation at neutral and acidic pH. Generally, a ...
Over the recent years, the importance of innovation in academic R&D projects has increased. Never... more Over the recent years, the importance of innovation in academic R&D projects has increased. Nevertheless, innovation facilitation in the academic field has rarely been researched. Currently, innovation support focuses on the industrial context. In our study we aim to address this research gap and examine the facilitation of innovation in the academic and the industrial context. In our abductive empirical case study, we investigate the role, skills, mindset and instruments of innovation facilitators by interviewing 25 individuals from nine organizations. We discovered different behaviors and perspectives in dealing with innovation work, depending on the context of the either academic or industry-driven projects. Academic innovation projects focus on feasibility, whereas industry-driven projects focus on viability. In both contexts, the facilitators usually intend to include the user perspective (desirability). With our results we contribute to the facilitation literature and show tha...
Managing Knowledge, Absorptive Capacity and Innovation
Absorptive capacity (AC) describes new knowledge absorption and its use for innovation on an orga... more Absorptive capacity (AC) describes new knowledge absorption and its use for innovation on an organisational level. In this paper, we explore the role of individual AC (IAC) for corporate innovation. We focus on the individual and relationships among the capability dimensions of existing AC models. A quantitative online survey allows us to empirically explore and underline the role of the individual in AC. Our findings contribute to and extend existing theories of AC, by confirming the multidimensionality of IAC, shed light on the view of transformation and exploitation as alternative paths and their effect on different innovation processes. Our research highlights the individual’s central role in innovation and introduces, explores and evaluates individual capacities to absorb new knowledge. This in consequence will influence processes and structures within a company with regard to innovation and human resource management.
According to the WHO, childhood obesity is one of the most serious public health challenges of th... more According to the WHO, childhood obesity is one of the most serious public health challenges of the twenty-first century. In this context, finding ways to make the healthier food choices the preferred ones can be a valuable contribution to solving this multifaceted problem. Sensory and consumer science offers a wide range of tools that can support the development of healthy and well-accepted food alternatives. In traditional sensory and consumer science, children would be involved in the product development process either as testers or informants. However, in our opinion, it would be valuable to extend their role to co-creators or co-designers, an approach already more established in the field of innovation and design, where children actively participate in the idea generation and development of healthy food that they will like and choose. Our own experience has shown that involving children in the idea-generation step for healthy food can be highly motivating and stimulating for the...
Unsustainable food production and consumption contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and global w... more Unsustainable food production and consumption contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. Adopting a more plant-based diet has been identified as a necessary change toward a more sustainable food system. In response to the call for transdisciplinary research on the sustainability of food consumption, this exploratory study combined consumer science, nutrition and health, sustainability research, and innovation to develop a new approach that can accelerate the shift toward a more sustainable diet. Quantitative data on the eating habits and attitudes of 1785 consumers was combined with data on environmental impacts via a life cycle assessment for different consumer segments. We studied the sustainable dietary shift using the diffusion of innovation theory, as well as qualitative and quantitative approaches. We identified and characterized seven consumer segments and related habits and attitudes toward an increase in plant-based foods and meat reduction. The nutritional ...
The innovation management literature describes a competitive advantage when applying Design Think... more The innovation management literature describes a competitive advantage when applying Design Thinking (DT) in corporate environments. In this paper we study the perceived challenges, enablers, and benefits for implementing DT in publicly funded transdisciplinary industry-academia research and innovation consortia (RIC). We facilitate and investigate five large RIC from the food and high-tech industry in Norway and Germany using an explorative qualitative action research design. Our research shows that the challenges of using DT in RIC are to some extent comparable to those for the corporate context. Additionally, we identify distinct challenges for RIC. Benefits from using DT in RIC are stronger user and innovation focus, better transdisciplinary collaboration, and triangulation of qualitative with scientific data. We suggest that complex RIC benefit from an intermediary (DT) role translating business needs into research questions, and research results into understandable and busines...
Absorptive capacity (AC) describes new knowledge absorption and its use for innovation on an orga... more Absorptive capacity (AC) describes new knowledge absorption and its use for innovation on an organisational level. In this paper, we explore the role of individual AC (IAC) for corporate innovation. We focus on the individual and relationships among the capability dimensions of existing AC models. A quantitative online survey allows us to empirically explore and underline the role of the individual in AC. Our findings contribute to and extend existing theories of AC, by confirming the multidimensionality of IAC, shed light on the view of transformation and exploitation as alternative paths and their effect on different innovation processes. Our research highlights the individual’s central role in innovation and introduces, explores and evaluates individual capacities to absorb new knowledge. This in consequence will influence processes and structures within a company with regard to innovation and human resource management.
Aminopropyl amyloses with various degrees of substitution (DS) were prepared and investigated wit... more Aminopropyl amyloses with various degrees of substitution (DS) were prepared and investigated with respect to their surface modification properties. Poly(acrylic acid) was grafted to plasma-activated PVDF films, and the functional amylose was bound via amide linkage formation. Layer formation was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Contact angle measurements and surface MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry indicated a hydrophilic surface and minimization of protein adsorption.
The potential of O-aminopropyl amylose (APA) for the stabilization of horseradish peroxidase (POD... more The potential of O-aminopropyl amylose (APA) for the stabilization of horseradish peroxidase (POD) was comprehensively studied in this research. The addition of APA was capable of stabilizing POD against heat inactivation at neutral and acidic pH. Generally, a ...
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Papers by Antje Gonera