ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the topic of invention and innovation, the heart and soul of engineering principles, which have contributed huge beneficial impact to our human society historically. By incorporating these principles and by putting them into real-life medical practices as depicted in this course work, this chapter provides outstanding tools to our future biomedical engineers and engineer-physicians for their future success in moving medicine forward to be higher in efficiency and quality. After a brief discussion on the distinction between invention and innovation, and a short history of invention and innovation in medicine, this chapter deals with the process of invention, including invention idea generation, unmet need verification, pre-invention marketing analysis, securing invention funding, generating invention, and testing invention. Finally, this chapter discusses the management of invention which includes intellectual property protection, regulatory compliance, capital funding acquisition, and business planning.
