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International Innovation Conference at UCD Smurfit School

Date: 08 Dec 2008

Creating the right space to foster a spirit of innovation

Acclaimed Academic Tom Allen believes Ireland needs more entrepreneurs in biotechnology, writes Frank Dillon, Irish Times.

This recently published article explains Professor Tom Allen’s research, examining how the distance between engineers’ offices affected the frequency of their communication.  The findings are published in Professor Allen’s book ‘Managing the flow of Flow of Technology’, and confirms that there is indeed a correlation between physical distances and the frequency of process.

The ‘Allen Curve’ suggests that for engineers to collaborate successfully, they should be located no more than 50 metres apart and on the same floor of a building.  Many engineering-intensive businesses were traditionally organised in silos, an approach, according to Allen, that acts as a barrier to the innovation conference.

A number of key building designs that have been strongly influenced by Professor Allen’s theories include the Decker building in New York, the Steelecase Development Centre in Michigan and BMW’s research centre in Munich.

Professor Allen will be presenting a paper at the International Innovation Conference at UCD Smurfit School from December 10^th – 12^th. 

(Above l-r, at the Innovation Conference at UCD Smurfit School, Professor Tom Begly, Dean UCD Business Schools, Professor Petra Ahrweiler, NITM, Dr. Hugh Brady, President, UCD)

Click on the link below to read the full article.

Creating the right space to foster a spirit of Innovation, The Irish Times

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