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Innovation and Creativity Summer Session
Business growth depends upon creativity. This projects seeks to equip students with the strategies to cultivate creativity by combining the expertise demonstrated in both Maine and Iceland in understanding entrepreneurial risk and opportunity identification, as well as creatively implementing strong new ideas. The project will result in a 10-day intensive program designed to improve students’ understanding of innovation. The program’s coursework will be collaboratively designed by two faculty from each institution, USM and Reykjavik University, and will rotate location every year between the two campuses. The coursework will be based on industry projects so that students will solve real world problems in industries most closely tied to North Atlantic trade that have high interest, growth potential, and common challenges in both Iceland and in Maine, such as microbrewing, fisheries, renewable energy, and tourism/hospitality. This course will teach practical creativity approaches, in which teams will be mentored by a faculty member from each institution to enhance and broaden cultural perspectives for the students.
Vision
The course will be immediately open to international students, with the goal of attracting students from multiple countries to develop a mix of perspectives from the global marketplace. This work might also bolster plans to offer a Marine Innovation course with field product experience which could foster fisheries industry participation.
Collaborators
Reykjavik University (Hallur Sigurdsarson, Pall Rickardsson, Hrefna Briem)
New England Ocean Cluster House
Iceland Ocean Cluster House
Maine Brewers Guild
Maine Brewers: Allagash, Rising Tide, Bissell
Professors

Richard Bilodeau
School of Business

Richard Bilodeau
School of Business
Professor Bilodeau is an entrepreneur who owns two small businesses: a direct marketing company in alternative health located in Maine; and a television network providing vacation information located in the South East. Prior to joining USM full time, Professor Bilodeau dedicated his time to starting and growing these two ventures while also teaching as an adjunct faculty. Over the years, he has taught courses in entrepreneurship, marketing, advertising, professional selling, CRM, and product development. He also managed the USM Student Business Plan Competition for eight years and was a senior advisor at the Center for Entrepreneurship. Prior to his career in business, Richard worked in a clinical laboratory where he conducted research and testing involving tumor markers.