Developing absorptive capacity for recombinant innovation

John Bessant is the Chair in Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Exeter in the UK and has visiting appointments at the universities of Erlangen-Nuremburg, Queensland University of Technology, and the National University of Ireland. Originally a Chemical Engineer, John has been active in the field of research and consultancy in technology and innovation management for over 35 years. In 2003, he was elected a Fellow of the British Academy of Management. He has acted as an Advisor to various national governments and international bodies including the United Nations, The World Bank and the OECD. He is the Author of 30 books and many articles on the topic and has lectured and consulted widely around the world.

Anna Trifilova is a Professor at National Research University Higher School of Economics, Russia. She is also a Research Fellow at Exeter Business School, UK. She is a Visiting Professor at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Kazakhstan and Saint Petersburg State University, Russia. Anna is involved with ISPIM as an International Advisory Board Member and a Leader of Teaching & Coaching Innovation Special Interest Group. She is a Co-founder of the FutureofInnovation.org. For the last three years, she has acted as an Executive Director for Europe, with the DICAMP Project in Tunisia, coordinating it on behalf of University of Leipzig, Germany. For the next three years, she is coordinating EU Knowledge Alliance TACIT Project with the University of Exeter being the Applicant.