Open Innovation Framework as a STI Strategy Krishna Ravi Srinivas PhD RIS New Delhi ravisrinivas@ris.org.in Closed Vs. Open Innovation Open Innovation • • • • • • • Two facets of Open Innovation – 1) Sourcing of technology and knowledge from outside partners like universities, suppliers, customers and collaborators. 2) Aiming for revenue from knowledge developed in-house that is not commercialized Open Innovation through different modes – partnership (alliances, joint ventures, joint development), acquiring technology and knowledge (contract R&D, selling, purchasing, licensing), venturing (spinning off, divestments) Open Innovation’s objective is to build alliances/partnerships across different actors with different capacities so that they complement each others’ capabilities and work together Open Innovation demands innovation management and aligning objectives with skills/capacities and using knowledge that is not limited to single actor Open Innovation thus is a mode for organizing innovation Open Innovation can be combined with open source, crowd sourcing and crowd funding and other strategies like networks Open Innovation should be used selectively and not all problems/issues need to be approached through this mode STI Strategy • • • • • STI strategy promotes innovation particularly turning R&D outcomes to tangible innovations in terms of products, services and facilities In case of many developing countries and LDCs STI strategy has to catalyze capacity building and create an enabling milieu for activities that can result in innovation to flourish. STI strategy has to take into account the capacities of different stakeholders and parts of the NIS and the outcomes should be commensurate with this. STI strategy should thus develop frameworks and structures that would facilitate networks, alliances to emerge and function efficiently. In this the needs and capacities of universities, SMEs and academic institutions should be taken into account How Open Innovation Framework can be a STI Strategy is an important question Open Innovation Framework Framework and ecosystem • • • • • • • Open Innovation Framework should include different actors, the common objective and the flow of knowledge, technology, skills and the paths for collaboration Although Open Innovation is often driven by limited objectives with participation by a limited number of participation as STI Strategy it can be broader with sub-objectives A key feature in Open Innovation Framework is that it builds up synergy through collaboration Another feature is that it enhances the network effort. According to Metcalfe the value of the network is proportional to the square of the number of connected users which means more the no. of users the value is more. In case of Open Innovation similar logic can be applied to collaborators and networks within a Open Innovation Framework. Private sector firms like Apple, Proctor Gamble use Open Innovation approach to develop Developer Ecosystem. For P&G 50% of new product ideas came from outside the company. Innovation Ecosystems can exist in many forms. While Open Innovation is externally focused and collaborative, Innovation Networks bring in Cross-organizational Innovation Open Innovation Framework should go beyond promoting Open Innovation per se and it should facilitate development of Innovation Ecosystems Innovation Ecosystems and OIF • • • • • • Innovation Ecosystem can be around a region or a particular industry. But today it is possible to speak of virtual innovation ecosystems that are not tied to an area. According to Bill Aulet of the MIT Entrepreneurship Centre, the seven key components of an innovation ecosystem are Government, Demand, Invention/Innovation, Funding, Infrastructure, Culture and, most importantly, Entrepreneurs. Instead of waiting for an Innovation Ecosystem to evolve governments play a proactive role in developing/facilitating them. E.G. Connecticut’s policy to promote state innovation ecosystem, Ireland report on Building Ireland’s Smart Economy that put National Innovation Ecosystem as core strategy Broad coalitions result in ecosystems built around a product or service. E.g. development of developer ecosystem surrounding Apple’s platform. In this there is collaboration as well as competition GENIVI, An Open Source Development Platform created by OEM in automobile industry to a develop a standard platform for infotainment. Companies will innovate on this standard platform. Collaboration lowers cost of development, faster development and accelerate innovation. Competition on innovating on the top of this platform Greentouch consortium to improve energy efficiency of computer networks promoted by Alcatel Lucent Innovation Labs and Innovation Ecosystem • • • • • • • • • • • • • Innovation labs are spaces to enable collaborative innovation. They are used in services, R&D, and to promote disruptive innovation Innovation objective imposed or selected Focus on large innovation challenges (e.g. financial innovation lab in London) Focus on breakthrough innovation, disruptive innovation Semi autonomous institutions Heterogeneous participation and collaboration Long term perspective Use of multiple tools and modes for stimulation, collaboration and prototype Focus on ideas and solutions As part of STI strategy Innovation Labs can be used to achieve an objective through open innovation A network of innovation labs can form an innovation ecosystem around a service or sector or in a region While the pros are many the cons are Innovation Labs are yet to demonstrate their utility in a big way, difficulties in bringing actors together, constraints in developing an open innovation culture among actors, Still developing nations can make a beginning by developing them Applying lessons from OIF • • • • • • • OI framework has been successfully used by many corporates to overcome issues in closed innovation. The original idea for Apple Ipod came from an outsider and Apple developed that further by providing a team to work on the idea, delivery model so that a product is linked with a model that can be used in other products P&G and other firms have used OI framework in many ways and have realized the importance of user innovation, innovation contests and prizes and developed strategies to harness OIF as part of organizational innovation strategy. Sticky issues like IP rights have to be anticipated and resolved Realize that collaboration and competition go hand in hand and what is important is realizing value addition from collaboration Today OIF is used in electronics, manufacturing, biosciences and also in services and service delivery But the big question is this as a STI strategy or just a fad/fashion that helps the industry to overcome some issues in innovation management Innovation Models - Evolution OIF as STI strategy • • • • • • • • • • • Stimulating networking Co design with STI policy Link with Science Policy and Technology Policy and identify elements than can be combined with OIF OIF to build new alliances and networks OIF can be applied in specific sectors to begin with and then can be expanded OIF can also be tried at a regional level and then expand to wider level Key issues 1) Can STI strategy enable networking and collaboration or does it promote Business As Usual Approach and closed innovation models 2) Are the actors willing to collaborate or do the institutional cultures inhibit such collaboration 3) How strong are the linkages across actors in NIS and across sectors 4) Is the STI strategy realistic about innovation potential 5) Who will promote the OIF- government, private sector or both OIF as STI strategy • • • • • • • • As Open Innovation is a novel idea failures in OIF can delegitimize the framework, so be careful about initial moves and objectives OIF can be first tested with academic institutions, govt. laboratories and R&D centres in selected projects Management of open innovation calls for a change in mindsets and assumptions about roles and limits So transformation from closed to open innovation and use of OIF as STI strategy is a road filled with obstacles and constraints Small scale initiatives in products and regions can be used to test the capacity to network, willingness to collaborate SMEs can be good targets for implementing OIF by linking with OEMs, large scale manufacturers and universities Identify sectors where the potential is untapped or where collaborations are more common Align the objectives of OIF with national STI strategy OIF not a panacea • • • • • • Understand the limitations of OIF OIF cannot solve all problems in STI strategy or in NIS In some sectors where the need to collaborate is better felt or where stakeholders realize that collaboration and competition is better than competition per se OIF will work In case of developing countries and LDCs first do a diagnosis of NIS and then apply OIF if that offers a solution But OIF needs a level of maturity and capacity to succeed, so top down OIF may not result in good results unless actors share the same objectives Making a beginning with OIF on a limited scale is better than doing nothing Thanks • The literature/references will be added
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