Ideas to Innovation: Creativity, Design Thinking, IPR and the Innovation Ecosystem (Edition2)

Innovation is no longer a specialised activity limited to laboratories, startups, or large corporations—it is a critical life skill for students, researchers, professionals, and institutions navigating a rapidly changing world. Ideas to Innovation: Creativity, Design Thinking, IPR & the Innovation Ecosystem (Second Edition) is a comprehensive and practice-oriented guide that explains how ideas are generated, refined, protected, scaled, measured, and transformed into responsible innovations with real-world impact.

This second edition has been thoroughly revised and expanded to reflect emerging trends in innovation education, responsible innovation, sustainability, and India’s evolving innovation ecosystem. It moves beyond theory to offer actionable frameworks, tools, case studies, reflection questions, and project ideas, making it suitable for classrooms, research labs, innovation cells, and early-stage ventures.

The book presents innovation as a systematic, iterative, and human-centred journey, beginning with the psychology of creativity and ending with ethical, sustainable, and measurable societal impact. Readers are guided step by step—from developing creative and critical thinking skills to applying Design Thinking, managing intellectual property, assessing technology readiness, navigating innovation ecosystems, and ensuring responsible innovation aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals and the triple bottom line of People, Planet, and Profit.

Designed for undergraduate and postgraduate students, PhD scholars, educators, researchers, entrepreneurs, and innovation professionals, this book aligns well with NEP 2020, outcome-based education, and interdisciplinary curricula. It integrates global perspectives with strong Indian context, making it especially relevant for emerging economies.

Chapter 1: Creativity, Creative Thinking, and Critical Thinking
Explores the cognitive foundations of innovation and how creative and critical thinking work together.

Chapter 2: Problem Solving and Ideation
Introduces structured problem-solving tools and creative ideation techniques with practical examples.

Chapter 3: Innovation – Concepts, Types, and Processes
Explains what innovation is, its classifications, and the structured innovation process.

Chapter 4: Design Thinking
Presents human-centred Design Thinking models and their application across sectors.

Chapter 5: Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and Patents
Explains IPR, patents, licensing, and their role in protecting and commercialising ideas.

Chapter 6: Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs)
Introduces TRLs as a framework for managing innovation risk and scaling technologies.

Chapter 7: Innovation Ecosystem
Examines global and Indian innovation ecosystems, including incubators, accelerators, and policy support.

Chapter 8: Innovation Metrics and Responsible Innovation
Focuses on measuring innovation and embedding ethics, sustainability, and societal responsibility.