In the course of their work, R&D and innovation teams often face the following challenges:
- Clearing technological hurdles that hold back innovation projects;
- Finding alternative technologies to meet new market demands;
- Improving product performance in the face of competition or technical constraints.
When a company is faced with a complex technological or scientific problemThe solution isn't always found in-house. This is where Open Innovation comes in, enabling you to solve a problem using external skills and resources. This concept, popularized by Henry Chesbrough from 2003is based on the idea that organizations can benefit from the expertise of third parties to accelerate innovation, minimize costs and maximize market opportunities.
What is Open Innovation?
TheOpen Innovation is mainly defined by using internal and external knowledge to drive innovation projects forward. Unlike traditional models where innovations are developed in-house, Open Innovation advocates the integration of ideas and technologies from external partners. This includes collaborations with startups, universities, research centers, independent experts and other companies. If well managed, these collaborations accelerate processes, improve the quality of solutions, and reduce R&D costs.
The benefits of Open Innovation for solving complex problems
Accelerating innovation
Companies can leverage the knowledge available externally to meet their challenges quickly. External experts, often specialized in niche fields, bring innovative solutions that the company could not develop in-house without massive investment in time and resources.
Elizabeth et al (2019) show, for example, how NASA created a Center of Excellence to structure its Open Innovation efforts, significantly reducing innovation cycles and improving knowledge management for future projects.
Access to specialized expertise
Some technological problems require specific skills that the company does not possess. By drawing on networks of experts, it can obtain answers and creative ideas from sectors sometimes far removed from its core business.
Kunieda et al (2020) illustrate this approach with the Kagawa University development model, which combines regional knowledge and technological expertise to solve problems specific to local communities.
Reduce risks and costs
By sharing project risks with external partners, the company limits its financial exposure. In addition, outsourcing certain tasks to external experts can reduce development costs. In addition, collaborative R&D and innovation projects make it possible to obtain public assistance or European funding with intervention rates of up to 80% of eligible expenditure, further reducing risk.
Seeking expertise: a key element of Open Innovation
In the context of Open Innovation, the search for expertise is therefore essential to identify the specific skills needed to solve a problem. This may involve the use of specialized platforms to put companies in touch with qualified experts. These platforms, like ideXlabThey help to analyze the state of the art, identify the most relevant experts and speed up the establishment of fruitful collaborations.
The importance of the state of the art in the search for expertise
Before beginning the search for expertise, the a rapid state of the art is an inescapable step.. This state of the art makes it possible to provide an overview of available knowledge and technologies on the subject, making it easier to understand potential solutions. It helps to more effectively target experts or companies to contactby eliminating solutions that have already been explored or are not very promising. This process not only save timebut also to better guide research in focusing on the most innovative and relevant aspects of the project.
The need to clearly specify the question in order to solve a scientific or technical problem
Another essential aspect of Open Innovation is the precise specification of the question to be answered. It's vital to identify the need clearly, without prejudging solutions. All too often, companies formulate their requests in terms of preconceived solutions, which limits openness to truly innovative ideas. Chiao and Macvaugh (2021) have shown that modularity in Open Innovation tasks can influence the effectiveness of contributors and knowledge spillovers. For this reason, a clear and open formulation of the requirement enables explore a wider range of potential solutions and optimize the effectiveness of contributions.
Real-life examples of Open Innovation: Sanofi and Orange
The application of Open Innovation has already proved its effectiveness in several industries and companies, including Sanofi and Orange, which have used the ideXlab platform to solve complex challenges. Here are 2 examples:
- Health sector : Sanofi used the ideXlab platform to solve a number of challenges in the development of new treatments. When searching for new compounds to treat specific pathologies, the company used ideXlab to explore a vast body of scientific knowledge, identify candidate compounds and interact with experts from around the world. Thanks to this approach, Sanofi was able to extend the list of potential molecules and engage in discussions with specialized experts, thus considerably reducing research time and increasing the project's chances of success.
- Telecommunications sector : Orange has also used the ideXlab platform to identify innovative security technologies, particularly those involving the physical layer of networks. The aim of the project was to find experts capable of improving telecoms infrastructure security systems. Using the platform, Orange was able to contact experts in telecommunications and security technologiesThis makes it easier to implement innovative and relevant solutions to enhance network security.
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Conclusion
Open Innovation represents a major strategic opportunity for companies seeking to solve complex technological and scientific problems. By opening up to external expertise and harnessing global knowledge, companies can not only speed up the innovation process, but also gain access to quality solutions, reduce costs and increase their competitiveness on the global market.
Recent academic studies, such as those by Gao et al. (2021), which illustrate how cross-border knowledge search management can meet the demands of a technology marketor Brea and Ford (2023), who point out that the importance of artificial intelligence in reducing dependence on specialized knowledge, show that Open Innovation is a powerful mechanism for tackling complex challenges.
So, whether you're looking for expertise in a specific technological field, or to collaborate with a wide range of partners, Open Innovation is the ideal solution. key approach to innovation challenges. Companies like Sanofi and Orange are demonstrating the power of this approach, proving that external collaboration can transform a technological obstacle into an opportunity for growth and innovation.
References cited :
- Brea Edgar, Ford Jerad Allen. Innovative problem solving in the Machine Learning Age: Is Domain Expertise Still Important? Academy of Management Proceedings, 2023
- Chiao Benjamin, Macvaugh Jason. open innovation and organizational features an experimental investigation. European Management Journal, 2021
- Gao Junguang, Teng Donghui, Wan Xinming, Zhao Shiyu. Cross-border knowledge search and integration mechanism - a case study of Haier open partnership ecosystem (HOPE). Chinese Management Studies, 2021
- Kunieda Takayuki, Yamada Satoru, Ikeda Tetsuya, Kometani Yusuke, Gotoda Naka, Yaegashi Rihito. kagawa university type development model and its practice of information system for regional problem solution by open innovation. 2020 3rd International Conference on Information and Computer Technologies (ICICT), 2020
- Richard Elizabeth E., Davis Jeffrey R., Paik Jin Hyun, Lakhani Karim R. Sustaining open innovation through a "Center of Excellence". Strategy & Leadership, 2019
The ideXlab open innovation platform is aimed at all innovative companies, whatever their sector or size, seeking to optimize their innovation and technological performance. In particular, it is aimed at R&D, innovation, technology watch and new product and service development and purchasing teams. Users may be engineers, scientists, innovation project managers, buyers of new technologies or strategic decision-makers.
