General Mills Invites Inventor Community to Join Its Enhanced Worldwide Innovation Network

General Mills advances connected innovation efforts through increased focus and
transparency with launch of new innovation portal, powered by inno360
MINNEAPOLIS--(Business Wire)--
Today General Mills extends an invitation to scientists, researchers, engineers,
inventors and entrepreneurs around the globe to visit the company`s new General
Mills Worldwide Innovation Network (G-WIN) innovation portal, online at
GeneralMills.com/Win. Visitors to the site can find opportunities to partner
with General Mills on initiatives across the company`s extensive portfolio of
leading consumer brands.

The new G-WIN innovation portal provides visitors with details on nearly 50
technical challenges that the company is looking to solve. Those who join the
G-WIN community by registering online will receive ongoing updates about
specific technical challenges that match their unique abilities and expertise.

"We are absolutely committed to changing the way we invent through connected
innovation," said Peter Erickson, senior vice president of Innovation,
Technology and Quality at General Mills. "Connected innovation is very much a
part of our culture. The new innovation portal, powered by inno360`s software,
provides us with a wonderful tool to make the process more efficient."

General Mills has partnered with innovation software firm inno360 to co-create
the Web-based platform as part of the firm`s Alpha partner program.

"General Mills has been a pioneer and leader in the food industry in embracing
new methods that will create value for consumers," said Larry Huston, chief
innovation officer of inno360 parent company STCI.

"We consider them to be a leader in applying the latest open innovation
practices and in applying next generation thinking of how to create value
through innovation. At inno360 we are so pleased to count General Mills as a
partner in helping to change the innovation game."

This technology will enable General Mills to enhance and accelerate significant
innovation efforts already taking place inside the company by matching outside
technical expertise and resources with a broader array of businesses and brands.

The G-WIN innovation portal allows visitors to submit novel ideas and respond to
the company`s list of innovation opportunities. General Mills is interested in
product, package and processing technologies that are applicable to the
company`s categories or brands, uniquely meet an unmet consumer need, have been
proven technically feasible and can be applied quickly, or are potentially
game-changing for the food industry. The company will evaluate proposals and
will respond to all submissions within three weeks.

The added capabilities on the G-WIN portal are representative of the company`s
continued investment in connected innovation, which has proven to be a
successful strategy for General Mills. In 2005, General Mills identified open
innovation as a key strategic priority and formed a team charged with creating
programs and processes to identify and engage external partners. In the spring
of 2007, the company formalized its open innovation efforts and officially
launched G-WIN to let the world know that it was actively seeking ideas from the
outside. The original G-WIN Web site, also launched in 2007, shared information
about the program and invited outside partners to submit their patent or
patent-pending ideas for consideration.

Today, the G-WIN team has expanded to include 15 Innovation Entrepreneurs who
work inside the company with each General Mills business division to identify
connected innovation opportunities.

"G-WIN is our call to outside partners to let them know that we`re serious about
open innovation," said Jeff Bellairs, director of G-WIN. "It`s about reaching
outside of our company, working with other inventors and incorporating their
eureka moments with our unique capabilities to create bigger innovation in the
marketplace."

General Mills is dedicated to building meaningful and sustainable relationships
that will not only benefit the company and its brands, but also its external
partners. Partners who help the company achieve its innovation goals can benefit
from General Mills` resources, scale and credibility in the marketplace to
advance their own business.

"In the past, we relied heavily on serendipity," Bellairs said. "Inno360 is the
connection engine that will give us the ability to find partners in a more
proactive, thoughtful fashion."

Since the launch of G-WIN, more than 40 new General Mills products have
incorporated a significant portion of external innovation, including Fiber One
Bars, Pillsbury Savorings, Progresso Light soups, Yoplait Smoothie, and Wanchai
Ferry frozen dinner kits.

About General Mills

One of the world's leading food companies, General Mills operates in more than
100 countries and markets more than 100 consumer brands, including Cheerios,
Häagen-Dazs, Nature Valley, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Old El Paso,
Progresso, Cascadian Farm, Muir Glen and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis,
Minnesota, USA, General Mills had fiscal 2009 global net sales of US$15.9
billion, including the company`s $1.2 billion proportionate share of joint
venture net sales. Visit GeneralMills.com.

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General Mills
Business Media Contact:
Maerenn Jepsen, 763-764-6364
maerenn.jepsen@genmills.com
or
Trade Media Contact:
Bridget Winberg, 763-293-4068
bridget.winberg@genmills.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009