Workshops, seminars, and online webinars in innovation culture, productivity, and commercialization
Innovation Culture, Productivity and Commercialisation
Free working sessions in the United States for economists, inventors, university technology transfer offices and corporate IP leaders. Nine mornings across Texas in 2027, each one a short briefing and a conversation about your own questions, not slideware.
2027 dates are provisional and subject to confirmation.
United States
October 12 and October 13, 2027
Events in Austin & Dallas, Texas, plus a Texas series from 10 to 19 November.
USA Events →Australia
September 27 to September 30, 2027
Morning sessions across four cities: Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, plus Adelaide on Tuesday, November 23, 2027.
Australia Events →Three Themes, in Plain Words
What each one means, and what you take away from a session built on it.
Innovation Culture
What it means
How a team treats ideas: who gets heard, what happens to a suggestion once it has been made, and whether people feel able to say what they really think. Culture is the pattern of ordinary behaviour, not the wording of a mission statement.
What you get
- A structured conversation built on the Cafe LATTE method: Listen, Ask, Trust, Timing and Evolve.
- Room to describe a real situation from your own organisation and hear how the others in the room read it.
- A short set of questions to take back to your own team.
Productivity
What it means
How much useful output you get from the effort you put in, whether you are looking at a team, a company or a national economy. It is about what to measure, where good work stalls and which change to make first.
What you get
- A way to set your own measures of output beside those used by people from other fields.
- A look at how patent production and economic growth relate, using the inventionINDEX created by Adam Rogers.
- Practical questions on removing friction between an idea and a first trial.
Commercialisation
What it means
Getting an invention out of the lab, the garage or the patent office and into a product, a licence or a new company. It covers choosing a route, finding the right partner and judging what the invention is worth to that partner.
What you get
- Inventors, university technology transfer offices and corporate IP leaders in the same conversation.
- A comparison of making it yourself, licensing it and spinning it out.
- Questions to settle before a first meeting with a possible licensing partner.
At Every Session
- A short briefing from Swanson Reed specialists, with guest speakers at selected sessions.
- A facilitated discussion in a small group, where you put your own question to the room.
- Two hours, 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM, free to attend.
- A route into the inventionINDEX collaboration, which gathers what attendees contribute into a submission on innovation policy.
Four Topics Behind the Themes
The themes are explored through four topics, each with its own page and its own sessions.
Patent Economics and National Prosperity
How the rate at which a country produces patents relates to its growth and productivity, and what that means for policy and investment.
Organisational Innovation Culture
The leadership, incentives and everyday habits that decide whether a team keeps generating ideas and acts on them.
Commercialisation and Licensing
Taking a patented invention to market, directly or through a licence, and finding the right counterparty for it.
University Tech Transfer and Spin-offs
How university research reaches industry, through technology transfer offices, licences and companies spun out of the lab.
Where We Run
The United States programme is the core of the 2027 schedule, with sessions across Texas. The same format is planned in six other countries.
Australia
Morning workshops in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth from Monday, September 27 to Thursday, September 30, 2027, plus Adelaide on Tuesday, November 23, 2027.
Canada
Toronto, Hilton Toronto, Friday, October 8, 2027.
Ireland
Dublin, Hilton Dublin, Friday, October 15, 2027.
New Zealand
Auckland, Hilton Auckland, Friday, October 22, 2027.
Singapore
Singapore, Hilton Singapore Orchard, Tuesday, October 19, 2027.
United Kingdom
London, Hilton London Metropole, Tuesday, October 5, 2027.
United States
Separate flagship workshops in Austin (October 12) and Dallas (October 13) 2027, followed by a Texas series from 10 to 19 November 2027.
The People in the Room
Every session is led by three core Swanson Reed specialists, across our workshop locations, with guest speakers joining selected sessions and announced alongside them.
Quick Answers
- What is Invention Cafe®?
- Invention Cafe® is a series of free morning working sessions in the United States on innovation culture, productivity and commercialisation. Each one pairs a short briefing from Swanson Reed specialists with a facilitated discussion in a small group. The 2027 United States programme runs across Texas. The same format is also planned in Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Singapore and New Zealand.
- Who runs Invention Cafe®?
- It is an initiative of Swanson Reed, the programme's founding sponsor. You can reach the team on +1 512-333-2076 or at hello@invention.cafe.
- When and where are the 2027 events?
- The 2027 US programme runs events in Austin & Dallas, Texas on Tuesday, October 12 and Wednesday, October 13, 2027, with a further Texas series from 10 to 19 November 2027. The Australian series runs from Monday, September 27 to Thursday, September 30, 2027 across Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, plus Adelaide on Tuesday, November 23, 2027. International sessions run in London on Tuesday, October 5; Toronto on Friday, October 8; Dublin on Friday, October 15; Singapore on Tuesday, October 19; and Auckland on Friday, October 22, 2027. All 2027 dates are provisional pending final confirmation.
- How much does it cost to attend?
- Attendance is free at every Invention Cafe® workshop, in every country. Please refer to each event's details for the date, time, and venue, and email us to reserve your place.
Supporters and Collaborators
Invention Cafe® is an initiative of Swanson Reed, its founding sponsor, and is supported by a network of partner organisations.
Want a Place at the Next One?
Tell us which city you’re interested in. We’ll reserve your place and send the joining details once they’re confirmed.
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