Innovation
Innovation is generally understood as “the successful introduction of a new thing or method”. It is “the embodiment, combination, or synthesis of knowledge in original, relevant, valued new products, processes, or services”. An important distinction is normally made between invention and innovation. Invention is the first occurrence of an idea for a new product or process, while innovation is the first attempt to carry it out into practice".
Importance to TIE and Our Customers
Innovation, conducted through research and development, is at the heart of any forward looking ICT organisation. This is certainly true at TIE where, despite being an SME, its Research, Development and Innovation and technical strategy unit is at the forefront of many initiaitives. Only through new ideas, new concept, new technology and methodologies, different ways of thinking can companies say ahead of the game. Just as this is true for TIE, it is true of our customers, since they also innovate in many different fields and know how important it is to be linked with a company which is not stagnating but always looking one step beyond.
Track Record
TIE is particularly close to next generation technologies. One of the way we promote both our skills and the opportunities to acquire new ones of partners as well as academia is through European Research. In the context TIE is particularly active in the European Commission framework innovation programs which in the next 7 years will spend about 50 Billion Euros in important fields such as ICT, Energy and Health. To this end TIE has led or partnered in projects SEEMseed, SEAMLESS, STASIS, NEXOF-RA, NESSI2010, NetChallenge, eGovShare.
Advantage
Participation in both European, Regional and National innovation initiatives has many advantages to TIE, its personnel and thus its customers. From being at the forefront of technology knowledge, to influencing technical direction through to using the tangible results in our products - participation enables are full range of possibilities. TIE has been active in this field since 2004 with a specific strategy designed to contribute our vision and our experience and also extract knowledge and insight into our solutions. We are a highly sought after partners with names from AtosOrigin to SAP inviting us into their Research Proposals…and TIE inviting them to share our ideas.
Community
To help achieve this, TIE has always been active in community efforts ranging from existing United Nations and the European Standards Institute (CEN) leadership for EDI and ebXML through more recently to NESSI (www.nessi-europe.eu). NESSI is the European Commission supported technology platform for Software and Services representing 350 members, 12 working groups and a 1.7 million strong workforce with an annual turnover of 490 Billion Euros. TIE is one of the 25 formal partners, along with the likes of HP, IBM, Thales, Siemens, Logica, BT etc and where it is represented by its CEO Jan Sundelin in the Board and its CTO Stuart Campbell who is also one of the Steering Committees Vice Chairs and chair of the ICT SME group.
