Logo
ScienceStack
Table of Contents
Fetching ...
Sign In

Experiences Applying Lean R&D in Industry-Academia Collaboration Projects

Marcos Kalinowski, Lucas Romao, Ariane Rodrigues, Clarissa Barbosa, Hugo Villamizar, Simone D. J. Barbosa, Helio Lopes

TL;DR

Oil and gas and retail IAC projects traditionally rely on long-horizon plans; this paper evaluates Lean R&D as a fast, MVP-driven framework. It reports on two partnerships (Petrobras and Americanas) implemented via ExACTa, structured around Lean Inception, early feasibility, backlog-driven development, and continuous experimentation. The results include MVP deliveries, patent applications for Smart Tocha and Digital Inspector, and measured business impact, with an ROI exceeding the IAC investment by more than $1:20$. The study also documents stakeholder acceptance (57 responses) and practical considerations for hypothesis description and phase clarity, highlighting Lean R&D's adaptability across sectors.

Abstract

Lean R&D has been used at PUC-Rio to foster industry-academia collaboration in innovation projects across multiple sectors. This industrial experience paper describes recent experiences and evaluation results from applying Lean R&D in partnership with Petrobras in the oil and gas sector and Americanas in retail. The findings highlight Lean R&D's effectiveness in transforming ideas into meaningful business outcomes. Based on responses from 57 participants - including team members, managers, and sponsors - the assessment indicates that stakeholders find the structured phases of Lean R&D well-suited to innovation projects and endorse the approach. Although acknowledging that successful collaboration relies on various factors, this industrial experience positions Lean R&D as a promising framework for industry-academia projects focused on achieving rapid, impactful results for industry partners.

Experiences Applying Lean R&D in Industry-Academia Collaboration Projects

TL;DR

Oil and gas and retail IAC projects traditionally rely on long-horizon plans; this paper evaluates Lean R&D as a fast, MVP-driven framework. It reports on two partnerships (Petrobras and Americanas) implemented via ExACTa, structured around Lean Inception, early feasibility, backlog-driven development, and continuous experimentation. The results include MVP deliveries, patent applications for Smart Tocha and Digital Inspector, and measured business impact, with an ROI exceeding the IAC investment by more than . The study also documents stakeholder acceptance (57 responses) and practical considerations for hypothesis description and phase clarity, highlighting Lean R&D's adaptability across sectors.

Abstract

Lean R&D has been used at PUC-Rio to foster industry-academia collaboration in innovation projects across multiple sectors. This industrial experience paper describes recent experiences and evaluation results from applying Lean R&D in partnership with Petrobras in the oil and gas sector and Americanas in retail. The findings highlight Lean R&D's effectiveness in transforming ideas into meaningful business outcomes. Based on responses from 57 participants - including team members, managers, and sponsors - the assessment indicates that stakeholders find the structured phases of Lean R&D well-suited to innovation projects and endorse the approach. Although acknowledging that successful collaboration relies on various factors, this industrial experience positions Lean R&D as a promising framework for industry-academia projects focused on achieving rapid, impactful results for industry partners.
Paper Structure (9 sections, 7 figures)

This paper contains 9 sections, 7 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Overview of Lean R&D
  3. Applying Lean R&D
  4. Lessons Learned
  5. Lean R&D Application Outcomes
  6. Suitability of the Lean R&D Phases
  7. Lean R&D Acceptance
  8. Discussion
  9. Conclusion

Figures (7)

  • Figure 1: Overview of the Lean R&D approach. The timeline is illustrative and reflects typical timeframes used within the ExACTa PUC-Rio laboratory.
  • Figure 2: Suitability of Lean R&D phases according to the ExACTa R&D team working with Petrobras.
  • Figure 3: Suitability of Lean R&D phases according to the ExACTa FIT team working with Americanas.
  • Figure 4: Technology acceptance by the ExACTa R&D team members of the projects with Petrobras.
  • Figure 5: Technology acceptance by the business and technical managers and sponsors of Petrobras.
  • ...and 2 more figures