Innovation Impact Navigator – Building Excellence in Technology-driven Innovation
“AI isn't merely enhancing innovation - it's redefining who (or what) innovates.” (Prof. M. Ventresca, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford)
Artificial intelligence acts as an accelerator of entrepreneurial performance (“supercharged entrepreneurship”) and is fundamentally transforming technology and innovation management. It enables organizations to generate more ideas, experiment more quickly, and make more informed decisions.
The AI Advantage: Taking Innovation to a New Level of Performance
AI is no longer a trend, it creates value: According to the Stanford HAI AI Index Report 2026, AI investments rose by 128% compared to the previous year. Already, 64% of organizations using AI in innovation report improvements: the highest impact across all organizational measures.
With the Innovation Impact Navigator 2026, we show how AI is already transforming innovation management, uncover best practices, and demonstrate how organizations can accelerate innovation, prioritize opportunities, and create sustainable value with AI.
Your Path: Choose Your Innovation Impact Navigator Track. We offer two paths to benefit from in-depth benchmarking insights, based on an exclusive database of more than 2,000 participants.
Track 1: Digital Assessment (Open to All)
Start with a data-driven analysis of your current innovation profile. Based on our validated methodology and data from over 2,000 companies, you’ll receive an objective assessment of your organization.
- Your benefit: Gain clarity on the current state of your innovation capabilities. Understand your strengths and areas for development as a basis for informed decisions. As a valuable outcome, you’ll receive a concise two-page summary that outlines key insights and concrete recommendations for your innovation strategy.
- Free & Anonymous: Participation is free of charge. We guarantee the highest level of data security: Your information will be treated as strictly confidential, fully anonymized, and evaluated exclusively in aggregated form.
- Opportunity to Become a Successful Practice: Organizations identified as particularly innovative through the benchmarking can apply to be recognized as Successful Practices. Candidates will host a workshop for the partner organizations, share selected insights into their innovation management practices, and engage in a Q&A session. The scope of information shared remains entirely at the organization's discretion. Besides valuable learnings and feebacks Successful Practices receive formal recognition within the benchmarking initiative and are publicly acknowledged at the conclusion of the project. Organizations may use the Successful Practice designation in their communications and employer branding activities.
Track 2: The Partner Project (Exclusive to Partners)
For organizations that want to go beyond mere analysis and actively shape their transformation toward the “AI Advantage.”
Benefits for partners:
- Experience best practices: Gain exclusive insights into leading organizations and network with other experts.
- Systematically unlock AI potential: Learn through practical examples how AI makes your innovation management more robust, faster, and more effective.
- Set the right priorities: Identify specific action targets and focus your resources on AI initivatives with the greatest strategic impact for your innovation management.
The Process for the Partner Project:
Following the baseline assessment, we guide our consortium partners through the process of excellence:
- Structured assessment: We analyze your current level of maturity in technology and innovation management based on our established database and place it in the context of the latest AI developments.
- Concrete recommendations for action: You’ll receive a detailed assessment and a joint evaluation of your profile to help you identify the next targeted steps for your innovation strategy.
Practical Implementation:
- Bilateral AI Briefings: Our in-house experts translate insights into concrete action items tailored to your needs.
- Learn directly from the best: We address your open-ended questions about AI applications through exclusive interviews with the consortium’s top companies and visit them on-site to learn from the best.
Your Companion for 2026
The process begins with a kick-off meeting to align on objectives and share initial database insights. We then leverage our annual Technology and Innovation Summit to gather expert knowledge on physical AI and establish a shared foundation. During our subsequent interim meetings and AI briefings, we present our findings and collaborate with our in-house experts to tailor concrete AI implementation strategies for your innovation management, culminating in the selection of three best-practice companies. These insights are then solidified through on-site company visits, providing a practical, experiential bridge between theory and implementation. Finally, a mutual debriefing session serves to transfer key learnings into individual takeaways and facilitate a concluding discussion.
General Information & Contact
Terms and Conditions for Participation in the Consortium Project:
- Limitation: Exclusive consortium (max. 15 participants).
- Duration: September 15, 2026 – January 31, 2026.
- Investment: 15,000€
Your information will be treated confidentially and used exclusively to create your individual innovation profile and prepare the personalized two-pager for you.
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Your Project Team
Andreas Penzel
Andreas Penzel is Executive Director of New Business Innovation and has more than 20 years of experience in digitalization and innovation. His focus is on developing new business models and successfully implementing transformation and AI initiatives that deliver clear business value.
He supports companies from strategy through implementation: from identifying relevant use cases and building AI and innovation portfolios to scaling these initiatives within the organization. In doing so, he combines technological expertise with a clear vision for sustainable value creation.
Andreas Penzel advocates a practical approach to innovation that centers on the interaction between people and technology.
Andreas Penzel
Linda Henkel
Linda Henkel is an innovation specialist with expertise in technology and innovation management, competitive intelligence, and strategic market analysis. She supports organizations in identifying emerging trends, assessing innovation opportunities, and turning market insights into actionable strategies. With experience in innovation consulting, robotics, and industrial AI projects, she helps businesses strengthen their competitive positioning and prepare for future technological developments.
