Innovation Engineering: The Skills Engineers Need to be Innovative

Purpose The main point of these analyses is to find out the skills and capabilities engineers should have in order to act successfully in the field of innovation. Methodology/approach The main approach is the identification of the profiles which are expected by the enterprises and companies from their engineers. The actual literature and scientific studies are screened in order to identify evidences for the characteristics of innovative engineers. Findings This study shows that professional, methodological, social, and personal competencies are important factors for innovation engineers in order to be successful in their professional life. Practical implications The final result of this analysis can be used as a guideline for universities and institutes of higher education to enrich their study courses in engineering with important elements of innovation engineering in order to fill the gap between the requested profiles of innovation engineers companies need and the profiles of university graduates.