Overview

Allen is a senior researcher, investigating the role that innovation and knowledge-based capabilities play in enabling a transition toward the Circular Economy (CE), in particular focussing on Circular Acceleration.  At product/service level this considers Circular Innovations; at firm-level Circular Business Models and at regional, national or societal-level, how CE principles contribute to socio-economic transition theories.  His prior engineering career provides him with unique skills and has enabled him to team up and research alongside colleagues in the Marine & Maritime Renewable Technologies, Transport & Mobility and Construction.  As Principal Investigator he holds a number of UKRI and European-funded research grants, leads a team of CE researchers based on the Penryn Campus, and is an active member of a number of high-profile academic networks focusing on innovation.

Awarded the Global Innovation Fellowship 2019-2021 by the International Society for Professional Innovation Management (ISPIM); is part of the BEIS Project Review Group; reviews for the UKRI - BBSRC, NERC & Innovate UK programmes and has held various appointments for EU Horizon 2020 and European Institute of Innovation & Technology.  He was also selected as a Peter Pribilla-Siftung Foundation Innovation Fellow at the Technical University of Munich and a visiting Research Fellow of the Centre for Leading Innovation & Co-operation at HHL Graduate School of Management, Germany.

Allen released his latest book in 2020, The Radical Innovation Playbook and is published extensively in world-leading and world-class, peer-reviewed research journals.  He is also a Member of the Association for Project Management, Member of the Institute of Knowledge Transfer and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Nationality: British

 

Qualifications

• MSc in Engineering Management
• PhD in Engineering

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Research

Research interests

• Circular Economy
• Circular Innovation & Acceleration
• Innovation Assesment and Audit
• Continuing Entrepreneurship

In a transition to a Circular Economy, Innovation and Entrepreneurship will have a key role to play.  Firm- level business models will need development and acceleration, societal governance and policy will need to create windows of opportunity and importantly radical innovations will be needed to secure a timely progression.

Grounded on the principles of Strategic Knowledge Management, where knowledge is a key resource of the firm, extensive empirical work suggests effective management and leverage of both internal knowledge and “brought-in” knowledge can lead to enhanced competitive advantage and enable transitions to CE accordingly.

It is this axis that Allen is interested in, whether knowledge comes from a University or Private Research Organisation or is generated through inter-firm linkages, if managed correctly, this knowledge, can be an important source of innovation.

Research projects

Award Type & Role	Title & Total Award Value	Dates
EU Grant Co-I	WEFO – Lightweight Electric & Hydrogen Transport Systems £2.8M partnered with Swansea University & Riversimple	January 2021 July 2023
EU Grant PI	Higher Level Skills for Smart Specialisation £1.8M across 5 Partners in SW region – Led by Exeter	November 2020 July 2023
EU Grant Co-I	EUROSWAC – Seawater Air Conditioning €1.9M Interreg collaborating with CEMPS and 6 EU Partners	October 2020 July 2023
UKRI Co-I	Circular Economy Network+ Feasibility Study £20k partnered with Warwick Manufacturing Group	July 2020 January 2021
EU Grant PI	Future Focus II (Circular Economy, Innovation & Leadership) £3.5M across 5 Partners in SW region	January 2020 December 2022
EU Grant Co-I	FanBEST – Blue Economy Knowledge Exploitation £1.8M Interreg collaborating with CEMPS & 8 EU Partners	January 2019 December 2021
EU Grant Co-I	Marine-I – Research-led Masterclass on Innovation £20 000 to develop a 3 day masterclass to Cornish SMEs	December 2018 June 2019
UKRI PI	Innovation Acceleration Account – Knowledge Exchange £20 000 with Cornwall Marine Networks and County Council	January 2017 June 2017
Seedcorn Fund PI	Innovation & Entrepreneurship in the UK’s Peripheral Regions £10 000 to join a UK-wide study inc. N.Irl & Scottish Boarders	March 2015 September 2015
EU Grant PI	GENIE – Growth & Entrepreneurs Network in the Channel Area €1.2M with 13 partners in the UK and Northern Europe	September 2013 March 2015
EU Grant PI	BENEFITS – Exploring Corporate Innovation Mgmt. Capability €1.8M with 4 partners in the UK and Northern Europe	October 2012 October 2014
ERDF Grant Co-I	CALMARE – Business Technology Centre in Advanced Materials £2.2M with College of Engineering & Physical Sciences	February 2013 February 2015
Contract Res. Co-I	IF2 – Exploring Innovation Fitness to build IMC £120 000 with DCC and UoE Stakeholders	September 2012 September 2014
AHRC Grant Co-I	REACT Hub – Developing collaborative partnerships with creative organisations, £2.5M with Bristol, Cardiff, Bath, UWE & Watershed	June 2011 June 2014
Contract Res. Co-I	Hi-CAT–Building Hi-involvement Innov. Cap. in EDF B2B ops. £100 000 (RKT Open Innovation Grant matched £50 000)	March 2013 December 2014
Contract Res. PI	Intellectual Property Office Fast Forward Competition £80 000 to develop IMC for SW business advisory networks	April 2012 April 2013
Contract Res. Co-I	SELEX Galileo Systems Ltd £21 000 to explore Servitisation as a corporate capability	October 2012 June 2013

Research networks

International Society for Professional Innovation Management 

Exeter Centre for Circular Economy

Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures & Commerce

ISPIM Special Interest Group - Circular Innovations

EURAM Special Interest Group - Innovation

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Publications

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External Engagement and Impact

Allen currently leads two prioritised, impact case studies for the REF2020 submission.

• Developing Innovation Management Capability from atypical economic indicators is based on work to bring forward an assessment tool and subsequent diffusion and adoption programme with regional business in the SW.
• Teaching and Coaching Innovation & Entrepreneurship Innovatively looks at work undertaken with Nokia, Lufthansa, BMW, Lego, Aachen Munchener and Torbay and South Devon NHS Trust working directly with novel teaching and coaching methods for 180 senior executives to create a culture of corporate entrepreneurship.

External positions

• Member of the International Society for Professional Innovation Management,
• Member of the Institute for Knowledge Transfer,
• Member of the Association for Project Management
• Member of the ESRC / Innovate UK – Innovation Caucus (http://innovationcaucus.co.uk/)
• Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts

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Teaching

Allen is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.  He currently leads two modules on Social & Technological Innovation and Project Management and has previously taught one module on our One Planet MBA (Innovation & Knowledge in the Wilds). 

He has been involved in winning three teaching development grants recently:

Award Type & Role	Award Title & Value	Dates
ERASMUS + Co-Investigator	TeAching & Coaching Innovation innovaTively (TACIT) € 1.0M across 4 Universities and 8 European Industry Partners	Jan 2016 Jan 2019 - 3 Yrs
ERASMUS Co-Investigator	Academic Open Innovation Network € 1.2M with 50 University partners from across Europe	March 2014 March 2016
TEMPUS Co-Investigator	DiCAMP – MSc in Innovation Management in Tunisia € 1.8M with 5 University partners in France & Germany	July 2012 July 2014

Modules

2023/24

• BEP3010 - Social and Technological Innovation

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Supervision / Group

Research Fellows

Postgraduate researchers

Research Technicians

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Office Hours:

Monday 09.00 to 11.00 and Friday 09.00 to 11.00 

(subject to change on occasion, so email for an appointment)

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