Eric Von Hippel

Ph.D. in Innovation at Carnegie-Mellon University, he is T. Wilson Professor of Innovation Management and also Professor of Engineering Systems at MIT. He is known for his research into the sources of innovation. He finds that product development is rapidly shifting away from product manufacturers to product “lead users” in the Internet Age. The rapid growth of innovation by lead users requires major changes in company business models and government policymaking. Von Hippel’s new book, Democratizing Innovation (2005), explains user-centered innovation and how companies and nations can adapt and profit. This book is available free on the web at http://mit.edu/evhippel/www/books.htm