Fertile ground: Cultivating a talent for innovation is an Economist Intelligence Unit white paper published in 2009 and supported by the Government of Ontario, Canada. The report was based on a survey of 200 senior executives worldwide, research, and in-depth interviews with 15 senior executives and experts in innovation. The report identified five general factors that contribute to innovation. The first two factors are where government policy can contribute to enhanced innovation, while the other three factors are generally the purview of firms:

1. Access to talent
2. A commitment to support an innovative business environment
3. Encouraging “open” innovation (with customers and other external partners)
4. Globalizing innovation
5. Continuing to recognize the importance of face-to-face contact

Format Date      PDF   Fertile ground: Cultivating a talent for innovation A report from the Economist Intelligence Unit; Supported by the Government of Ontario, Canada English French German Japanese 31 pages 05/2009 Talent strategies for innovation A report from the Economist Intelligence Unit; Supported by the Government of Ontario, Canada English French German Japanese 16 pages 11/2009

Katherine Dorr Abreu, a Senior Editor at the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), interviews Paul Tyrrell the author of the EIU report Fertile Ground: Cultivating a Talent for Innovation, who elaborates on the findings of the report. Then, she interviews Jeffrey Elton, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Global Chief Operating Officer (COO) at the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR), who describes how a model of open innovation and collaboration has worked in his organization.