India as a global innovation hub
How and why the world’s largest multinationals are increasingly locating their global R&D and innovation activities in India (and other countries like it). This theme addresses questions such as:
- What specific innovation projects do MNCs actually conduct in India? How have they structured their R&D operations in India?
- How should multinationals reorganise themselves to effectively leverage innovations from emerging markets for global success?
- How should multinationals practice open Innovation in the Indian context (ie plug into the local ecosystems of startups, universities, VCs, research labs…)
- India’s relationship with China (strengths and weaknesses as an R&D hub)
Indian firms going global
How Indian firms (relative to firms from other emerging markets) are going global and moving up the value chain. This theme addresses questions such as:
- What’s the global trajectory of large Indian firms (ie listed on Bombay Stock Exchange)? How effectively do they manage it?
- “Born Globals”: how do startups in Bangalore and other tech hotspots in India manage their globalisation (relative to firms in other clusters like Silicon Valley and Cambridge)?
Co-innovation with the bottom of the pyramid (mass markets)
How firms and other organisations are engaging those who live on less than $5 a day as value-adding partners through innovative products, services and business models. This theme addresses questions such as:
- What is the BOP market? How large is it in India? (myths and realities)
- What capabilities must firms develop to effectively operate in BOP markets?
- What are the business models used by firms to leverage value in BOP markets?
- How should firms partner with social entrepreneurs to scale up BOP innovations?
- How can firms effectively convert their CSR projects into for-profit initiatives?
- How can innovations in BOP markets be shared with other markets/countries?