Centre for Software Innovation

Extenda aims to transform businesses through establishment of a research-led culture. ICT companies will be given the opportunity to improve their research capabilities, research planning methodologies and enhance their products. Ultimately, they will be better placed to compete internationally because they will have innovation and quality.

Register your Interest

External Links: 

University of Auckland Course Page

If you are a SME ICT Company focused on developing innovative software based products, Extenda will be of interest to you. This is especially if you lack staff with sufficient research skills and experience to understand how research is used in initiating and accelerating product development. The Extenda programme has been developed by the University of Auckland’s Centre for Software Innovation (CSI) in partnership with UniServices and The University of Auckland Business School to provide you with the understanding and tools you need to exploit research activity in your business. Through Extenda, you will be given the opportunity to improve your research capabilities, research planning methodologies and enhance your products. The improvement in innovation and quality will make you better placed to compete nationally and internationally.

What Extenda will bring to your company?

You will be offered targeted assistance in developing technology roadmaps, research plans, technology assessment capability and funding opportunities with an ICT emphasis. The areas of focus in the Extenda programme include:

• New product development and
• implementation
• Developing technology roadmaps
• Research and Devlopment
• Environment scanning strategies

How it works

Software companies will be invited to take advantage of this 12 week programme, with several business briefings for senior managers, supported by continuing in-house support. The programme will involve focused expert-led briefings, followed by in-company consultancy from a team of postgraduate students (students are recruited from the Computer Science, Software Engineering and Business School programmes at the University of Auckland) overseen by an experienced mentor. The team will work with the company to identify how to best leverage the briefing lessons within the company’s context through audit and action planning. Findings, which will be reviewed with the company’s senior management team, will critique the company’s strategic thinking, analyse potential and develop a technology-business plan for a selected future product/product line.

Company criteria

If you are a software or ICT company interested in taking part in the programme Extenda we would like to hear from you.

Firstly, you should be committed to, and follow each of the following 5 criteria:

1. You must be a company in the ICT/ software sector, with at least one product in the market
2. You must have a strong commitment to ongoing product development
3. You must be motivated to improve your company’s R&D capabilities
4. Members of the senior management team must attend and participate in each briefing session (up to four members of the company may attend).
5. Members of the senior management team must be willing to engage with the Extenda team assigned to their company which will train them in the technology roadmapping process and facilitate the development of a preliminary roadmap for a product of choice (typically 5 X 2-3 hour sessions).

Joining the programme

Register your interest by filling in the Extenda registration form.