PDMA New Zealand Newsletter   In this Issue: NEWS Calling for Newsletter Articles or Blog Entries Updates to website PDMA-NZ Sponsorship PDMA-NZ Membership Hit's 80 Visions Magazine Available Online LinkedIn PDMA-NZ Group 2008 Bayer Innovators Awards Announced The DuPont Australia and New Zealand Innovation Awards 2008 EVENTS Next PDMA-NZ Events Innovation & Design Forum Science Parks - Economic Catalysts for City Growth BLOG Online customer interactions - a source of service ideas Understanding Users for better Product Development New R&D tax credit regime – Product developers can benefit                     Top                     Top                     Top                     Top                     Top                       Top Issue 2 - September 2008 Spring is Here!   Hi everyone   It's been a while (let's blame it on the weather!), but the next newsletter is finally here.   We've got a variety of news articles, events and as well a couple of blog's written by members.   We'd like to be able to put a newsletter out on a regular basis, so please do read the first news item - we need your help!   PDMA-NZ team www.pdma-nz.org About PDMA-NZ   NEWS   Calling for Newsletter Articles or Blog Entries We know that you’d love to get the PDMA-NZ newsletter on a more regular basis. So – has anyone got articles or topics they’d like to contribute? Also, just let us know of any news you have seen that we can link to on the internet. And lastly, if there's an upcoming event that you think that other may be interested, we can include it on our events tab.  Updates to website The newsletter articles can now be found on the “News & Blog” tab. This means that you are able to leave comments on any of the newsletter articles. Plus it will give you access to past blogs and newsletter articles under the archives. Those of you who are familiar with RSS feeds, you can set it up to alert you when ever any new news or blog entries are posted. And remember the Discussion Forums – a great way to connect with other PDMA-NZ members, ask questions or answer others questions. We’d love to have your feedback! PDMA-NZ Sponsorship   Potential sponsors, who see benefit in being ‘in on the groundfloor’ during the establishment phase of a new organisation with enormous potential in New Zealand should take note!  2008 is the set up and establishment year for the PDMA-NZ. Click here to continue reading PDMA-NZ Membership Hit's 80 Guess what – we now have 80 paid-up members of PDMA in New Zealand! If you aren’t already a member and want to find out what you are missing out on, just go to our website and click on the membership tab. There you will find details of membership benefits as well as a link to become a member. Visions Magazine Available Online   Visions Magazine is an award-winning industry magazine published quarterly by our parent PDMA organisation and delivered to members. It contains articles on practical tools and techniques dealing with a wide variety of product development and management issues. You may not realise it, but you don’t have to be a PDMA member to access it online - check it out at: http://www.pdma.org/knowledge_visions.cfm But of course we’d love you to become members! Maybe from reading this magazine you might find it valuable and be a good reason to become a member which will also give you access other PDMA information on the website that is available to members only, such as PDMA Body of Knowledge (BOK) and the Journal of Product Innovation Management (JPIM).  LinkedIn PDMA-NZ Group   Some of you may already use LinkedIn (www.LinkedIn.com). It's a great business-oriented social networking tool that allows you to build up a network of people you know and trust in business. Whether it be just keeping in touch with people you have worked with in the past or finding someone you know who can introduce you to someone you want to do business with, it's a great way to network. We’ve set up a LinkedIn group for PDMA-NZ. This allows us to form an online community of people interested in product innovation in New Zealand. Since setting up the group (and today is the first time we have promoted it), we have already 28 people who are now members of the group! So if you’d like to join the LinkedIn PDMA-NZ group, click on this link: http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/77069  2008 Bayer Innovators Awards Announced   The winners of the 2008 Bayer Innovators Awards was announced at a cocktail reception, held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Tuesday August 5. Click here to find out who the winners were.  The DuPont Australia and New Zealand Innovation Awards 2008   Dimond recognised for innovation excellence The Dimondek 630 roof fixing system by Dimond was one of three finalists in the prestigious building category of the bi-annual DuPont Australia and New Zealand Innovation Awards   Click here to continue reading   EVENTS   Next PDMA-NZ Events   We are planning the next PDMA-NZ events in Auckland and Christchurch.   Click here to findout more.   Innovation & Design Forum   AuCom has organised an Innovation & Design Forum for Thursday 25th September in Christchurch, and PDMA-NZ members are warmly invited.   Click here to continue reading   Science Parks - Economic Catalysts for City Growth   Jane Davies, CEO Manchester Science Park, UK delivering a public lecture on the role of science parks in the development of a city-region's knowledge economy on Tuesday 23 September in Auckland.   Click here to continue reading    BLOG   Online customer interactions - a source of service ideas   Many firms have taken ideas from their customers to develop the way in which they deliver their products and services. Focusing on service has the advantage of directing customer efforts to how the product is delivered rather than only to the product itself.    Click here to continue reading   Understanding Users for better Product Development   The success of a product is determined in the market by its users. But it is too late to discover at the product launch whether the product will be attractive or not to them. Instead products should be initiated and developed in response to users’ needs or problems, well before they reach market.    Click here to continue reading   New R&D tax credit regime – Product developers can benefit   The Government has introduced a R&D Tax Credit regime with effect from the beginning of the 2008/09 income year. This regime is designed to promote R&D within NZ Industry and to improve NZ’s competitiveness worldwide. The tax credit is valued at 15c for every $1 of qualifying R&D expenditure incurred on an eligible project after the start of the 2008/09 income year (the project itself could have started prior to this date).     Click here to continue reading    ABOUT PDMA-NZ    We're only young, but we're growing and enthusiastic. Becoming a member of the PDMA (Product Development & Management Association of New Zealand) entitles members to a range of benefits including:  favourable rates for overseas conferences and meetings of the international PDMA subscription to Vision magazine, an international quarterly featuring case studies networking with professionals and developers who will share your experiences For more details, check out the membership page on our website: www.pdma-nz.org.   Product Development & Management Association of New Zealand (PDMA-NZ) c\o Massey University Private Bag 102 904 North Shore Mail Centre Auckland, New Zealand web: www.pdma-nz.org email: info@pdma-nz.org   (09) 4439729 If you have been forwarded this newsletter and would like to be included in the distribution list, click here.