O n a busy road in the English Midlands, Adam Cartwright and a team from Jaguar Land Rover, Vodafone, Siemens, and the University of Warwick are testing a new technology that allows cars to see around corners. “It’s called vehicle to infrastructure communication,” says Adam. “It’s all done through a unit on the roadside that sends signals to the car.”
It represents an enormous step for driverless cars, but before it goes further, any potential problems have to be ironed out. “We are helping the university to explore any issues around cyber security and optimizing vehicle movement,” explains Adam. “And to do this, we need to run real-world tests on both highways and urban roads.”
Part of a nationwide push to bring driverless cars to UK roads as soon as possible, the project has many stakeholders. In this case, the government dictates policy, funds cities, and supports the road network, while universities and researchers create technologies to make it all happen — with industry working with both to bring the best ideas to life.
The best ideas rarely happen by themselves
Adam Cartwright is Head of Open Innovation for Siemens UK. With his boss, he manages just under 200 collaborations between Siemens and UK universities, facilitated by 10 partner institutions: “We also have a network of embedded teams in these universities, who spend their days working with students and researchers to understand their ideas.”
Turning creative ideas into a reality works best when you are able to bring diverse and talented people together. “I spend most of my time talking to people,” says Adam. “Heading out to universities or factories to discuss the latest technology. Catching up on ongoing projects, checking in with my team, and occasionally meeting policymakers.”
Across all these institutions there is a steady stream of new ideas. “A huge amount of interesting projects come out of these places,” Adam explains. “But there’s a big gap in translating these ideas into impact.”
Being able to spot the value of an idea at any stage, and help it grow, takes more than instinct — it requires years of experience, some technical know-how, and an eye for the bigger picture.
Teams are essential for innovation. Think of the most prestigious achievement in science, the Nobel Prize. Once upon a time, the accolade would be bestowed upon an individual — people such as Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, and Francis Crick. But as we gradually recognize the importance of collaboration, the pressure is mounting for the judging panel to celebrate teams and not just single people.
Learning is a process of elimination
Adam grew up in an old industrial town in Wales, and from a young age planned to be a scientist but just didn’t know how to get there. “I loved discovering how things worked in my science lessons. I didn’t know what that meant for a job though,” he says. “I took a job at the local steelworks as an R&D technician on a project researching alternative fuels for petrol tanks.” He then went on to study biochemistry before completing a PhD in protein engineering: “I wanted to produce chemicals that could be used in society. I had found out that I wanted to make an impact and not just learn.”
When Adam finished his PhD, he became a civil servant. Working for the UK government, both in California and London, he developed a policy for how business could find new growth opportunities in a low-carbon economy. “I was encouraging overseas companies to invest in UK low-carbon projects, believing there can be a win-win for the environment and the economy,” he says.
Being the conduit for business and government, he could see there was a better way for the two to work together: “I proposed a 12-month secondment to Siemens. I wanted to see if I could bring academia more closely into the many projects Siemens were developing that aligned with the UK Government’s policy objectives.”
Four years later and Adam has joined Siemens and is still bringing great ideas to life: “It’s not about being an expert on everything, I just know how to bring people together and agree on a plan.”
Adam Cartwright is Head of Open Innovation. He lives in the north of England with his wife and children.
Illustration: Vanessa Branchi
Animation: Ross Turner
