TEK4900 – Technology, innovation and product development

Schedule, syllabus and examination date

Course content

Innovation is one of the big buzzwords of our time – something that is expected of all types of organisations and their employees. This course will provide an overview of various concepts, models and theoretical approaches found in contemporary perspectives and empirical investigations of innovation and product development. It will use examples and site visits with companies and research organisations to illustrate the theoretical concepts. These are some of the important topics of the course:

  • Definitions of innovation and types of innovation
  • Innovation and technology development as a process
  • Sources of innovation, and the relationship between innovation and research and technology development?
  • Innovative organizations: Are some types of organisations more likely to produce innovations than others?
  • Why do innovators in many cases not reap the benefits of their own innovations?
  • Innovation networks and innovation collaboration
  • Innovation management
  • Innovation and commercialization
  • Start-ups, intellectual property rights and business plans

Learning outcome

The course will give you:

  • a basic understanding of innovation and technological product development, both from a societal and from a micro level perspective.
  • knowledge about the heterogeneity of innovation and the many different factors that can influence innovation
  • concepts, insights and skills that will be useful when you become involved in innovation and technology development work

Admission

Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.

If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.

Prerequisites

Formal prerequisite knowledge

No specific requirements

Recommended previous knowledge

The students should have an interest in and curiosity concerning innovation.

Overlapping courses

Teaching

The course is organised as a lecture series with a three-hour lecture taking place from 9.15 to 1200 most of the Fridays throughout the autumn. Some of the Fridays will be used for excursions and visits to organisations involved in innovation.

The course includes presentations by student groups. Lectures involving this group work will be obligatory.

The students are expected to:
• Participate in all scheduled lectures and group work sessions
• Read the course literature in advance of each lecture
• Participate in discussions in the lectures

Examination

The evaluation is based on two parts, each contributing 50 % of the final grade:

1) During the course each student has to write an individual essay about innovation.

2) The students are required to participate in a group presentation of a project from an innovation perspective.

Both 1) and 2) must be passed in the same semester in order to pass the course. The final grade will be the average between the two grades. If the final grade is between two grades (e.g. between A and B), the grade on the theoretical assignment (part 1), is given more weight.

Grading scale

Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.

Explanations and appeals

Withdrawal from an examination

It is possible to take the exam up to 3 times. If you withdraw from the exam after the deadline or during the exam, this will be counted as an examination attempt.

Exam attempts in this course is counted together with UNIK4000 – Technology, innovation and product development (continued).

Facts about this course

Credits
10
Level
Master
Teaching
Every autumn
Examination
Every autumn
Teaching language
English