CURRENT RESEARCH PROGRAMME

Jeremy Howells | Research Programme | Research Interests | Papers

• Research on Innovation, Services and Industrial Consumption
• Recent Research Projects
• Possibilities for Supervision of Research Students

Research on Innovation, Services and Industrial Consumption

My principal research interests in CRIC centre on two of the main CRIC research programmes, namely on: a) knowledge and competition, and b) consumption and demand. This focus is cross-cut by my ongoing interests in services, research and development (R&D) and technology transfer. A particular conceptual theme I am exploring is the nature of service innovations and linking this to the issue of industrial consumption and the innovation process. Topics of interest cover (in no particular order):

• models and theories covering service innovation
• process of encapsulation and consumption of innovations
• link between service and goods consumption
• industrial consumption
• the nature of knowledge
• the relationship between knowledge and innovation
• the geography of knowledge and innovation
• knowledge and technology transfer
• sourcing of scientific and technological knowledge
• changing nature of R&D activity
• R&D outsourcing and distributed innovation
• R&D, technical, engineering and design services
• ICTs, firm organisation and innovation

Research in these topics covers trying to improve our conceptual understanding of the nature of knowledge and innovation, particularly as it relates to services and consumption. However there are key methodological issues in trying to analyse and measure these processes and new indicators and statistics to chart these processes are being developed by myself and other colleagues within CRIC. Empirical research covers both in-depth case study work as well larger scale questionnaire surveys.

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Recent Research Projects

Some recent major research projects include:

2002-2004, Innovation in Services: Issues at Stake and Trends funded by Innovation Directorate Unit, Enterprise Directorate General, Commission of the European Communities, Luxembourg, with Bruce Tether and Elvira Uyarra coordinating teams from FhG ISI, Karlsruhe, University of Buffalo, University of Boconni and University of Lille. The research, using a large-scale questionnaire survey is analysing innovation in service activities across Europe and North America.

2002-2003, Making Computational Modelling a Business funded by the ESRC with Simon George from CERAM Limited. The study explores how CERAM's know-how and existing intellectual property surrounding its work in computational modelling and how this could be exploited commercially.

2001-2003, Patents in the Service Industries funded by Research Directorate General, Commission of the European Communities, Brussels, with Knut Blind, Jacob Edler, Urlich Schmoch, Birgitte Andersen, Ian Miles, Joanne Roberts, Christian Hipp and Rinaldo Evangelista. The study analyses patent and other intellectual property activity by service firms and organisations across Europe in relation to innovative activity.

2002, Services and Innovation: Dynamics of Service Innovation in the European Union funded by HM Treasury, with Lawrence Green and Ian Miles. The report was a major background research document for the ECOFIN meetings of European Union Finance Ministers.

2003, Wealth Creation by the Science, Engineering and Technology Base in the UK: A Review funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the Engineering and Technology Board (ETB), The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Office of Science and Technology (OST), the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society, with Khaleel Malik, Hugh Cameron and John Rigby. The study explores the relationship between science, innovation and engineering activity and expenditure and long term growth and wealth creation.

1999-2003, Effective Technological Knowledge Sourcing funded by the ESRC, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and LINK Programme, with Andrew James and Khaleel Malik. The study investigates the processes involved regarding the use of in-house knowledge generation versus external knowledge acquisition and outsourcing.

Other projects are listed on my personal PREST web pages.

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Possibilities for Supervision of Research Students

I have supervised students coming from a broad range of social sciences and management. I am particualrly keen to supervise students interested in exploring the relationship between knowledge and innovation, service innovations and technology transfer.

I am, or have recently been, involved in supervising PhD students in the following topics:

• Service innovation and the spatial division of labour
• Industy-academic links and the higher education system in Thailand
• Perception and decision-making in the innovation process
• Regional systems of innovation and knowledge activity
• External acquisition of technology within Corning (CASE studentship)
• Higher education industry links and knowledge activity in the Korean national system of innovation
• Industry academic collaboration in Malaysia
• Industrial design and innovation
• Information systems and organisational design
• Information technology and learning in Malaysia

However, any interesting PhD research proposals will be welcome, as well as postdoctoral research projects funded by ESRC or via Marie Curie. CRIC, together with PREST, hosts a successful and expanding Marie Curie Fellowship scheme.

• European Commission Marie Curie Host Fellowships
• PhD opportunities at CRIC
• IoIR postgraduates