Educating future product developers in collaborative product development : lessons learned from the european global product realization (EGPR) international course

Changes in the business environment, responses of companies to these changes and the available information and communication technologies (ICT) pose a number of challenges to present and future product developers, as well as to educational institutions. An appropriate response to these challenges is to create a solid basis for strategies to combat stronger competition, since existing educational programs have provided this only to a small extent. In our opinion, the E-GPR course carried out by 5 European universities reflects the tasks of professional product development teams and their work conditions as realistically as possible and will enable students attending the E-GPR course who will soon enter the professional world to later progress along a steeper learning curve. This paper focuses on the role of communication between members of virtual teams and presents experiences gathered during the organization, designing and performance of each year’s courses

The impact of management on creativity and knowledge transfer in an academic virtual enterprise

In a competitive knowledge-based environment the role of creativity in new product development (NPD) has increased. The university as the provider of scientific and technological knowledge has become a key player in NPD, as a supplier of knowledge and human capital and as the physical space for new enterprises. The boundaries between science and technology, university and industry are in flux. This article therefore examines the environmental, strategic and organizational factors influencing innovation in NPD process on an example of an Academic Virtual Enterprise (AVE) that was applied in a design course called European Global Product Realization. AVE represents a creative working environment for students, where they act as real professionals in solving a real-life design problem

A project-based approach to learning : comparative study of two disciplines

To be successful in the competitive workforce markets, graduates nowadays need more than just disciplinary skills and knowledge. The changes in how businesses operate, have brought about the need to develop highly skilled workforce that is equipped with generic skills, such as communication, creativity and problem solving, next to their discipline-relevant knowledge. To provide these sets of skills Universities are engaging in project-based learning with industrial partners. Such modules should provide the development of both sets of skills and thus produce highly employable students. In this paper perceptions of marketing and engineering students related to the projectbased learning outcomes are explored, to determine how they rate the acquisition of relevant employment skills in the studied modules. The findings show, that the students appreciate the project-based approach, specifically with relation to their project management and team-working skills, there is however improvement possible in the discipline-based aspects of their learning

Evaluation of “Codeve” methodology for teaching npd to virtual design teams

Studies on the effectiveness of New Product Development (NPD) in countries of partner organizations of EGPR (European Global Product Realisation) course discovered that the end phases of the process are most challenging. These are identification of market needs on one end and commercialization on the other. CODEVE (COllaborative DEsign in Virtual Environment) teaching methodology is developed within EGPR course. EGPR is joint educational project of four European universities running since 2004. CODEVE is tested through the Erasmus+ funded project called NARIP (Networked Activities for Realization of Innovative Products). The goal of developing this teaching methodology was to establish suitable means by which students can learn NPD process and how to implement it in their professional career. NARIP project is funded by EU over three years to develop, test and implement this methodology within partner academic institutions from the UK, Croatia, Slovenia and Hungary. It is expected that the recommendations resulting from this activity will be implemented in academia and industry across Europe and help companies to improve their NPD process. This paper presents findings of the student surveys from NARIP projects hosted by Zagreb and Budapest in 2015 and 2016 respectively. The study analyses the effectiveness of the NPD process, the engagement of students, knowledge generation of staff and other aspects of the performed NPD process. The analysis lead to recommendations of improving the CODEVE methodology which will be finally tested in the EGPR project hosted in the UK in 2017

Development of methodology for distributed collaborative design environment

This paper describes the CODEVE (COllaborative DEsign in Virtual Environment) methodology developed in a joint educational project of four European universities called NARIP (Networked Activities for Realization of Innovative Products). The ultimate goal of the NARIP NPD course is to develop a concept and produce a physical product prototype within one academic semester. In order to expose students to real life situations the prototype is being produced in close collaboration with an industrial partner. Elements of the NARIP course comprise: (1) project definition-according to agreement with the industrial partner, (2) lectures composed and adapted to address the specific needs of the current project and which are equally distributed to partner universities, (3) project work monitored by academics, with three distinct phases and review points, and (4) the final workshop that includes prototype manufacturing, assembly and testing, final presentation and exhibition. The paper presents the structure and details of the developed methodology as well as an overview of the course development history. The core of the CODEVE methodology is a set of comprehensive guidelines for students and teachers that are specially adapted and focused to the issues and problems that arise in distributed collaborative multidisciplinary design projects. The methodology focuses on management of complex projects, emphasizing the importance of research phases, prompt clarification of any issues and balanced distribution of project tasks. The methodology also promotes the use of various virtual/on-line collaboration tools to foster discussion and exchange of 3D sketches and models

Bespoke innovation : filling the gap between classic and user-centred open innovation

In this paper, we explore the possible boundaries of open innovation by looking at the properties and problems associated with various forms of governance which all have claims to be regarded as open innovation. We look first at some basic forms of open innovation governance before looking at the case of a relatively neglected but increasingly important variant, bespoke or customised innovation. We discuss the implications before finishing with some tentative conclusions

Development of methodology for distributed collaborative design environment

This paper describes the CODEVE (COllaborative DEsign in Virtual Environment) methodology developed in a joint educational project of four European universities called NARIP (Networked Activities for Realization of Innovative Products). The ultimate goal of the NARIP NPD course is to develop a concept and produce a physical product prototype within one academic semester. In order to expose students to real life situations the prototype is being produced in close collaboration with an industrial partner. Elements of the NARIP course comprise: (1) project definition-according to agreement with the industrial partner, (2) lectures composed and adapted to address the specific needs of the current project and which are equally distributed to partner universities, (3) project work monitored by academics, with three distinct phases and review points, and (4) the final workshop that includes prototype manufacturing, assembly and testing, final presentation and exhibition. The paper presents the structure and details of the developed methodology as well as an overview of the course development history. The core of the CODEVE methodology is a set of comprehensive guidelines for students and teachers that are specially adapted and focused to the issues and problems that arise in distributed collaborative multidisciplinary design projects. The methodology focuses on management of complex projects, emphasizing the importance of research phases, prompt clarification of any issues and balanced distribution of project tasks. The methodology also promotes the use of various virtual/on-line collaboration tools to foster discussion and exchange of 3D sketches and models

Targeting RAGE prevents muscle wasting and prolongs survival in cancer cachexia

Background: Cachexia, a multifactorial syndrome affecting more than 50% of patients with advanced cancer and responsible for ~20% of cancer-associated deaths, is still a poorly understood process without a standard cure available. Skeletal muscle atrophy caused by systemic inflammation is a major clinical feature of cachexia, leading to weight loss, dampening patients' quality of life, and reducing patients' response to anticancer therapy. RAGE (receptor for advanced glycation end-products) is a multiligand receptor of the immunoglobulin superfamily and a mediator of muscle regeneration, inflammation, and cancer. Methods: By using murine models consisting in the injection of colon 26 murine adenocarcinoma (C26-ADK) or Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) cells in BALB/c and C57BL/6 or Ager−/− (RAGE-null) mice, respectively, we investigated the involvement of RAGE signalling in the main features of cancer cachexia, including the inflammatory state. In vitro experiments were performed using myotubes derived from C2C12 myoblasts or primary myoblasts isolated from C57BL/6 wild type and Ager−/− mice treated with the RAGE ligand, S100B (S100 calcium-binding protein B), TNF (tumor necrosis factor)α±IFN (interferon) γ, and tumour cell- or masses-conditioned media to analyse hallmarks of muscle atrophy. Finally, muscles of wild type and Ager−/− mice were injected with TNFα/IFNγ or S100B in a tumour-free environment. Results: We demonstrate that RAGE is determinant to activate signalling pathways leading to muscle protein degradation in the presence of proinflammatory cytokines and/or tumour-derived cachexia-inducing factors. We identify the RAGE ligand, S100B, as a novel factor able to induce muscle atrophy per se via a p38 MAPK (p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase)/myogenin axis and STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3)-dependent MyoD (myoblast determination protein 1) degradation. Lastly, we found that in cancer conditions, an increase in serum levels of tumour-derived S100B and HMGB1 (high mobility group box 1) occurs leading to chronic activation/overexpression of RAGE, which induces hallmarks of cancer cachexia (i.e. muscle wasting, systemic inflammation, and release of tumour-derived pro-cachectic factors). Absence of RAGE in mice translates into reduced serum levels of cachexia-inducing factors, delayed loss of muscle mass and strength, reduced tumour progression, and increased survival. Conclusions: RAGE is a molecular determinant in inducing the hallmarks of cancer cachexia, and molecular targeting of RAGE might represent a therapeutic strategy to prevent or counteract the cachectic syndrome