MIT's Eugene Fitzgerald Publishes 3-Part Innovation Framework in New Book
Updated
Updated · MIT News · Aug 17
MIT's Eugene Fitzgerald Publishes 3-Part Innovation Framework in New Book
2 articles · Updated · MIT News · Aug 17
Summary
"The Invisible Engine" argues innovation is not a single idea but a decentralized process that links technology, implementation and market demand over 10- to 20-year horizons.
Fitzgerald says the book distills a decade of MIT-led research-to-market programs, including collaborations with Masdar and Singapore, into a framework for how society should invest in innovation.
He divides research funding into three streams—altruistic science, strategic research and "fundamental innovation"—and argues the third is crucial for long-term economic growth yet is not being deliberately funded.
Drawing on his 1990s co-invention of strained silicon, later adopted by industry to extend Moore's Law, Fitzgerald says commercialization emerged through movement across Bell Labs, MIT, startups and industry rather than linear planning.
The book targets students, universities, corporate leaders and policymakers, urging creation of "third places" where government, academia and industry can jointly build broader, "T-shaped" innovation talent.