idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
idw - Informationsdienst
Wissenschaft
Large companies are already using the concept of open innovation to great success. But what is the collaboration situation in smaller companies? Working with the University of Auckland, New Zealand, Fraunhofer IAO is examining this question as part of a study entitled “Collaboration in the Area of Research and Development in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises.”
Open innovation is when companies involve their customers and external partners in their innovation process in order to generate new ideas, improve products or identify new sales avenues. Back in 2013, Fraunhofer IAO conducted a study entitled “Managing Open Innovation in Large Firms” in which it assessed how large companies approach the topic of open innovation and to what extent they involve third parties in their development processes. The results indicated that 78 percent of large companies in Europe and the United States already use open innovation, and that this number is on the rise. But how does this compare with the situation at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)?
Are SMEs ready for open innovation?
This is precisely what the German and New Zealand scientists want to find out. Following up on the original study, they plan to analyze how SMEs in Germany and New Zealand use collaboration and open innovation and to look at the most popular methods and approaches. What are the opportunities and success stories, obstacles and problems? Where do SMEs need help? Are companies satisfied with their attempts so far to tap the potential of open innovation? In addition, the scientists hope to highlight ways to establish collaborations between Germany and New Zealand in the future.
Online survey of R&D managers
To get answers to these questions, an online survey is being launched. It is aimed primarily at R&D and innovation managers as well as executives. Participants have the opportunity to exchange ideas with the Fraunhofer IAO scientists, who can provide tailored advice on how they can use open innovation at their company. What’s more, they benefit from an assessment of how their company compares with others that use collaborative and open innovation approaches. Participants also receive the full study free of charge.
All managers who have experience in R&D collaboration and want to learn about the challenges and the most promising approaches are invited to participate. The survey takes around 30-45 minutes to complete and can be found at http://s.fhg.de/4vk until June 30, 2016.
https://www.iao.fraunhofer.de/lang-en/about-us/press-and-media/1267-collaboratio...
http://www.innovationsmanagement.fraunhofer.de
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