@ARTICLE{10.21494/ISTE.OP.2016.0107, TITLE={Industrial innovators: the loneliness of the long distance runner}, AUTHOR={Michel Moruzzis, }, JOURNAL={Technology and Innovation}, VOLUME={1}, NUMBER={Issue 2}, YEAR={2016}, URL={https://www.openscience.fr/Industrial-innovators-the-loneliness-of-the-long-distance-runner}, DOI={10.21494/ISTE.OP.2016.0107}, ISSN={2399-8571}, ABSTRACT={To sum up the state of innovation in French industries, it could be said that “Smart ideas give poor returns”. After almost forty years spent in advanced studies, the author realized that industrial innovators must be tough long distance runners, and that many obstacles are paving their way. Then he thought that his experience could be used to highlight and explain this point of view. Starting from the description of three cases from his own work, the author attempts to describe more general obstacles which are probably affecting many industrial companies. Finally, the author concludes that innovation in French industrial companies should be considered more seriously and as a part of the company’s DNA. He also believes that management is probably the domain in which companies really need innovation. As a conclusion, the author would be delighted should this analysis stimulate companies to much more practice team sports to innovate.}}