Roy Horan
roy@innov-ea.com

Creativity & Innovation

Roy Horan served as one of the key developers of the Multimedia Innovation Centre within the Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s School of Design. As an assistant professor, he specialized in enhancing and assessing creativity/innovation potential and achievement. He also conducts research into the neuropsychology of creative thinking and has been publishing in creativity science books and journals such as the Encyclopedia of Creativity and the Creativity Research Journal.

Roy developed a new system for measuring innovative ideas, products and services based on the concept of creative momentum. This is a valuable tool for both benchmarking and stimulating creative achievement. He also designed, developed and tested new psychometric instruments for measuring different types of creative potential.

Roy’s work on creative contemplation using brain scans indicates that very complex creative problems are solved in a relaxed, open, yet alert, mental environment in which the predominant brain wave patterns simulate both the transition state to dreaming and deep sleep. This state appears to allow for a greater play of unusual associations and deeper insight. Roy has also designed and tested several new forms of meditation and conducted neuropsychological research on them. He proposed that creativity and meditation are connected through mental activity associated with transcendence and integration of information.

Prior to the PolyU, Roy worked, for 20 years, in the Hong Kong film/video/television creative industries in various capacities including entrepreneur, producer, director, screenwriter, post-production director, international film development, product marketing, sales and distribution.

In October, 2010 he WAS INVITED TO PARTICIPATE AS A KEY-SPEAKER at the TEDx Pearl River Delta Conference on ‘THE HEART OF CREATIVITY’.

Stress-Reduction Programs

Before joining academia, Roy conducted leadership and stress reduction programs for corporate clients. Roy is a long-time practitioner and teacher of yoga meditation for enhancing peak performance and a sense of well being.

In the early seventies, he became the first Caucasian to live a nomadic life with the Dene (Native Americans) in the Canadian arctic wilderness. This experience provided him with profound insight into the mind’s capabilities under extreme isolation and harsh conditions. As a further exploration of the mind-body connection, he learned Japanese, Korean and Chinese martial arts (for over 20 years) and earned black belts in several disciplines. In the late seventies, he even had a brief stint as an action star in both Jacky Chan and Bruce Lee movies.

Environmental Sustainability

As an environmentalist interested in the development and dissemination of environmental technologies, Roy was instrumental in initiating a joint-venture between Synigea (Hong Kong) and Idea Environmental Technology (Germany) for the first viable environmental-friendly multi-fuel combustion engine operating on vegetable oil (targeted for the Philippines). It was designed by the engineers who produced the renowned Porsche 911S engine.

Presently, he is involved in creating education programs with the Kadoorie Farm and Botanical Garden (Hong Kong) for raising public awareness of environmental issues.

Chinese-Language Dyslexic Solutions

Roy embraces a background of English and American Literature and has taught language to Asian professionals. His literary background coupled with Chinese language skills, neuropsychology, multimedia expertise, and insightful thinking have helped him to collaborate with experts in the field of education psychology to develop tools for helping dyslexic children better learn the Chinese language.

Roy’s goal is to help build a more realized culture for learning, innovation and prosperity in Asia.