By Katarzyna Łobacz, PhD, Szczecin University
The Need for Modernising Innovation Management Education
Innovation management plays a critical role in ensuring that organisations can adapt, grow, and remain competitive in today’s fast-changing business environment. However, higher education programmes often fall short in equipping students with the practical skills required to navigate innovation processes effectively. Despite the proliferation of digital tools designed to enhance innovation management, their integration into university curricula remains limited. This creates a growing disconnect between academic preparation and the practical demands of modern industries.
The Role of Digital Platforms in Innovation Management
Digital platforms have revolutionised how organisations can manage innovation by streamlining processes, enhancing collaboration, and improving decision-making. For example, platforms such as ClickUp enable users to collect, categorise, and organise ideas in one centralized space. This ensures that all potential innovations are structured for analysis and easily accessible. Features like tagging, project boards, and visual dashboards help teams prioritise ideas effectively.
Collaboration is another crucial aspect supported by tools like HypeInnovation, which enhance teamwork through real-time communication. These platforms allow stakeholders to share feedback, assign tasks, and track progress, fostering an environment of co-creation and shared responsibility. At the same time, evaluation and decision-making processes are simplified by platforms like Ideanote, which provide functionalities for assessing ideas based on feasibility, potential impact, and alignment with organizational goals. These platforms incorporate scoring systems and feedback loops to help teams identify the most promising innovations.
Implementation and monitoring of innovation projects are also supported by platforms such as Brightidea, which offer tools for resource planning, timeline management, and performance tracking. These features ensure that ideas are not just conceptualized but also brought to fruition effectively. By leveraging such platforms, organisations can create structured, efficient, and transparent innovation processes. However, to fully realize their potential, universities must ensure that future professionals are familiar with these tools and understand how to use them effectively.
Digital Platforms in the F&B Sector
The food industry is a prime example of how digital platforms can drive innovation. In this sector, where consumer demands and sustainability challenges are rapidly evolving, innovation is critical to maintaining competitiveness. Platforms like Brightidea and Ideanote are used to capture innovative ideas for new food products, packaging solutions, and supply chain optimization.
For example, in product development, platforms help food companies identify emerging trends such as plant-based alternatives or functional foods. Tools for market analysis allow firms to gather and analyse consumer feedback, enabling them to align their innovations with changing dietary preferences. During the production process, platforms like Monday.com are used to enhance collaboration across teams, including R&D, marketing, and logistics, ensuring that ideas move efficiently from concept to commercialization.
Sustainability is another area where digital platforms play a transformative role. In supply chain management, innovation management tools help organisations track and analyse data related to resource use, waste reduction, and emissions. This enables companies to implement more sustainable practices while responding to consumer demand for transparency. Platforms also support packaging innovation by fostering collaboration on ideas that reduce plastic use or improve recyclability.
Moreover, in the food service industry, digital platforms like ClickUp are used to design and test new service models, such as delivery systems or in-restaurant technology integrations. These tools streamline the process of gathering insights from customers, evaluating potential solutions, and implementing changes at scale.
Gaps in Current Educational Programmes
Despite the importance of digital platforms in innovation management, most higher education programmes still focus on traditional theoretical models. While concepts like design thinking and stage-gate processes remain relevant, the lack of exposure to practical tools leaves students unprepared for real-world challenges. Students rarely gain hands-on experience with industry-standard platforms like Braineet, Ideawake, InnovationCloud, Innolitics, or Innovation Cast leaving them unfamiliar with essential tools for managing innovation. Innovation management is often taught in isolation from other disciplines, such as project management and digital transformation, failing to reflect the integrated nature of modern workflows. Many programmes also emphasize frameworks that predate the digital era, ignoring the efficiencies and capabilities offered by current platforms.
The Path Forward for Higher Education
To bridge the gap between academic training and industry needs, universities must systematically integrate digital platforms into their innovation management curricula. Partnerships with software providers could offer access to the latest platforms, while interdisciplinary courses would reflect the interconnected nature of innovation, digital transformation, and project management. Real-world applications, including case studies, team projects, and industry collaborations, would further enhance the relevance of curricula. It is time for higher education to fully embrace digital transformation and prepare students for the challenges and opportunities of modern innovation management, including those faces by F&B SMEs.
