Commission sets agenda for future of innovation

The European Commission has issued plans to promote experimentation and disruptive research in its Open Innovation Yearbook 2013.

According to the report, produced by the directorate general for the Digital Agenda, Europe needs to move from having "perfect plans for yesterday" to an innovation culture which fosters experimentation and prototyp­ing. This should include the involvement of product users in the innovation process to provide feedback, states the Commission, as well as an acceptance that failing is a necessary part of innovation.

“‘Failing fast means that we are less likely to fail in the big things because corrections to the innovation pathway are easier to take on board at the earlier stages,” states the Commission.