Usually associated with organised R&D labs and white coats, innovation has turned a corner. With ICT and the advance of the knowledge economy bright ideas have a better chance of being rewarded, regardless where and by whom they are generated. That is good news for developing countries. If this wave in innovation can start tapping into this previously neglected "bottomless well of human ingenuity" - often those places where people battle for survival - good things may happen. These places are real world labs on our doorstep with remarkable resilience and creativity. It just needs to be linked up to financial capital.
According to The Economist "A special report on innovation (13-19 Oct 07):
Steward Brand, an internet pioneer and co-founder of the Global Business Network...is convinced that if ou want to seethe next wave of consumer innovation "look to the slums of South Africa, not Japanese schoolgirls."
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