Identifying opportunities

Welcome

This module is about identifying opportunities for innovation, particularly within the context of projects and placements. The knowledge you acquire will help develop your ability to identity opportunities and recognise their potential value. It will give you a broad overview of opportunities - what they are, where they come from and how to explore their value. There are three topics in this module.

  • In topic 1, you will be introduced to what an opportunity is and what that means in the context of innovation. It will provide basic concepts and analogies that will help you understand what an opportunity for innovation is. You will also cover how your individual situation, such as expertise, timing and resources, can influence how you perceive opportunities.
  • In topic 2, you will expand your learning by exploring where innovative opportunities come from. You will also learn about key tools that can be used to identify opportunities.
  • In topic 3, you will learn how to identify what makes an opportunity valuable in four different areas; personal, economic, social and environmental, and how to evaluate the potential value in these areas. We’ll then focus on next steps and how you can articulate an opportunity as well as some ideas for how you can learn more and start developing a response to an opportunity for innovation.