FITT (Fostering Interregional Exchange in ICT Technology Transfer)

1. FITT (Fostering Interregional Exchange in ICT Technology Transfer)

2. NABC: definition • What? Easy method to quickly analyse and develop value propositions for projects • Who? Introduced by Curtis Carlson & William Wilmot (Stanford Research Institute, US) in “Innovation – The Five Disciplines for Creating What Customers Want” (August 2006)

3. Do the NABC in 4 questions • What is the important customer and market NEED? • What is the unique APPROACH for addressing this need? • What are the specific BENEFITS per costs that result from this approach? • How are the benefits per costs superior to the COMPETITION’s and the alternatives?

4. Listen to the customers voice

5. Detect the customer value

6. NABC process in practice • Easy framework for dissemination within your network at any time (possibly on line request) • Makes researchers aware that the latest, greatest technology is not enough, but needs to be combined with great positioning and a great team. No need to solve all problems of the world at once. • Guides researchers to write down a compelling, quantitative, value-laden, pitchy Value Proposition showing their distinctive advantage • If NABC looks promising at first glance, intake meeting can take place where contact with idea owner is important and next steps can be discussed • Good fit in organisations with great deal flow of ‘wild’ business ideas, emanating from people with few entrepreneurial skills

7. NABC example: Video on Demand • Need: movie rentals represent a $5 billion business opportunity that you currently cannot access. The only parts of rentals that people really dislike are the obligation to return the tapes plus late fees. Customers find that it is inconvenient and wastes time. • Approach: we have developed a system that allows you to provide videos on demand to your customers using your cable system, with access to all the movies of Blockbuster. Our approach makes use of one of your currently unused channels, with no changes to your system. In addition, you do not need to invest any capital. Each movie costs your customers $6.99, the same cost as a rental at a video store. • Benefits per cost: You will receive 5 euro of new revenue per movie rented, with a margin of 20% after paying for the movie costs. Your customers will have all the pause and fast forward functions of a VCR when watching the movie, and they do not have to return the movie when done. Late fees are gone. We estimate you could capture a market share of 20%. • Competition: Our system is patented, and it is the only one to include all of these features. Online rentals represent new competition for both you and us, but they have a handling-cost disadvantage of 75 cents per tape. Sending videos back is inconvenient, plus they cannot provide spontaneous purchases.

8. CONs Pros & Cons PROs • Strength: quick first level assessment tool for business opportunity, easy accessible for researchers • Innovation: practical way to assess researchers ‘wild’ business ideas • Useful in large organisations with big deal flow of ideas • Problems: researchers have sometimes difficulty to be concise and risk of killing possibly good ideas to early • Acceptance is not same as ‘go’ to business: need further research into IP and freedom to operate

9. Why ? Rationale NABC • Need for quick assessment tool of business opportunities in a large research community with a demand driven research agenda • Value proposition development • Identify important customer needs • Define champions and productive teammates • Articulate the value proposition (NABC) • Iterate often with others, regularly, in a group • Bridging the gap between excellent research and (new) business (creation)

10. Why ? Impact NABC • Success rate: all applications for iProof (proof of concept projects) and iBoot (iBootcamp) were assessed on this framework. First feedback to idea owner (even if negative) has high sensibilisation effect. • Recommendation: Helps researchers to think ‘customer’ and ‘customer value’ and to feel the entrepreneurial vibe for the first time • Impact on future performance: the NABC will slowly help to change the mindset of a research community to a research valorisation community without to much harassing researchers with writing business plans

11. Outcome • All first level assessments of business opportunities need to pass the NABC test • Higher awareness level within research community • Easy accessible for all • Create pool of business ideas • No immediate need to change the format, although on line availability could prosper the use by researchers

12. Lessons Learned • Looking back now, what would you … • … do different? Nothing really • … improve? Combine NABC with quick IP and freedom to operate scan • … recommend to others? Just try it out.

13. Suggested Readings • Link to bibliography • “Innovation – The Five Disciplines for Creating What Customers Want” • Link to code book • Link to related websites • http://www.sri.com/innovation/discipline.html