Yes, it absolutely was, and is, the point. One of the dilemmas highlighted by The Economist project is this:

If you keep innovation within the mainstream of the organisation, you build in gateways for evaluating new ideas and proposals as they emerge. That can stifle radical innovation. If you hive-off innovation into a 'protected environment' uncluttered by conventional thinking and business criteria, you may end up with an innovation idea that the organisation just doesn't want to do.