92 research outputs found
Innovation intermediaries’ types and functions: a computational analysis of the literature
No full textInnovation intermediaries have become numerous and diverse. Faced with this growing heterogeneity, there is the need to advance understanding of the organisations that engage in innovation intermediation activities. To do so, we use a combination of text mining and bibliometric techniques, and we identify seven different streams of literature, six of which refer to distinct types of intermediaries that perform specific functions and often involve specific types of organisations. Looking at the evolution of the different streams of literature over time, we find that the early contributions focused on university incubators, science and technology parks, and the role they play within different types of innovation systems. More recently, the focus has shifted to the role of intermediaries in supporting sustainable transitions. Despite the differences between the various types of intermediaries and the literature streams that analyse them, the bibliographic coupling shows that all strands of literature have a common theoretical basis, which includes the open innovation approach and revolves around the role of science parks and incubators
Public innovation intermediaries and digital co-creation,
No full textThe emerging digital technologies pose new challenges to innovation intermediaries. In this chapter we build on a case base of evidence on selected public intermediaries in France (pôles de compétitivité) and in the UK (digital catapults), to argue that public innovation intermediaries, which carry public policy mandates, have a specific role to play, particularly in the context on the emerging, complex, and yet not fully commoditised set of technologies underpinning the ‘fourth industrial revolution’. In particular, we reveal that by connecting a plurality of actors on the demand and supply side, public innovation intermediaries facilitate co-creation of complex technological solutions, and that in doing so, they create both social and economic value. The goals of examined co-creation activities revolve around finding highly innovative solutions to complex problems triggered by the digital transformation. The co-creation initiatives that we study take place at the national level, but their outputs have broader impact on the activities of the parties involved.
Our evidence suggests that, when co-creating a complex technological solution, the intermediary is involved in two complementary, often intertwined, but distinct processes that bring together organisations that demand technology and those that supply technological solutions. On the demand side, the intermediary helps the organisation looking for a technological solution (a large company, an SME, or a municipality) to articulate their demand, and eventually find it as well. We call this ‘demand-led’ co-creation. On the supply side, the intermediary brings together a system of technology providers (large companies, SMEs, universities and public research organisations) able to devise, develop and implement a technological solution to match the needs of the organisation on the demand side. We call this ‘supply-led’ co-creation. The intermediary is present from the beginning to the end of the co-creation processes, with its activities extending beyond co-creation processes to ensure post-project continuity between the involved actors.
Among demand-led co-creation processes, we identified at least two different approaches devised by Catapults and Pôles de compétitivité - the development of an open challenge, and the development of a proof-of concept. On the supply side, we noted the creation of the so-called ‘groupement’ of SMEs by pôles de compétitivité, whereby the pôle facilitates the creation of a value-chain that is able to respond to complex demands of organisations looking for technological solutions.
Our study shows that public intermediaries are able to play their unique role in co-creation processes thanks to several factors: the legitimacy they have to act as intermediaries, as they are endowed with public mandates; the presence of long-term public funding that enables intermediaries to be perceived as neutral agents, to gain reputation and trust over time; the networks of trusted experts on whom they can rely to successfully complete their mission; a well functioning evaluation process that spurs intermediaries to act effectively and efficiently and to be responsive to demands from their stakeholders
Innovation intermediaries and emerging digital technologies
No full textDigital technologies have brought about fundamental changes to innovation intermediaries’ business models, and the ways in which they facilitate innovation and the adoption of these technologies. Digital technologies have also stimulated the emergence of non-human intermediaries such as crowdsourcing platforms. Yet knowledge is lacking on how intermediaries and intermediation are changing under the influence of digital technologies. The special issue on Innovation intermediaries and emerging digital technologies was designed to contribute to filling this gap. In this editorial, we reflect on these major developments and introduce the articles published in this special issue, which advance knowledge on how intermediaries contribute to the adoption of digital technologies, how they respond to technological change, and how they support intermediation for innovation. Building on the insights from this special issue, we suggest several avenues for future research
Determinants of Crowdsourcing Openness in High-Urgency Conditions: A Configurational Approach
No full textManagers increasingly use crowdsourcing to address problems in high-urgency conditions. However, to maximize its benefits, they must determine the appropriate level of openness of crowdsourcing challenges—openness in knowledge sourcing and openness in knowledge use. In this study, we examine how configurations of factors (e.g., problem attributes, crowdsourcing design elements, and solution seeker characteristics) influence crowdsourcing openness in high-urgency conditions. Drawing on a dataset of 162 crowdsourcing challenges launched between 2020 and 2022 to address Covid-19-related problems, we apply fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to uncover the configurations of factors that lead to different levels of openness in knowledge sourcing and knowledge use. Our findings indicate that openness—particularly openness in knowledge use—can be
achieved through various configurations by different types of seekers. These insights provide practical guidance for balancing crowdsourcing openness under urgent conditions to maximize innovation and efficiency
Public innovation intermediaries and digital co-creation. Research contribution to the OECD TIP Co-creation project
No full textThe emerging digital technologies pose new challenges to innovation intermediaries. In this chapter we build on a case base of evidence on selected public intermediaries in France (pôles de compétitivité) and in the UK (digital catapults), to argue that public innovation intermediar-ies, which carry public policy mandates, have a specific role to play, particularly in the context on the emerging, complex, and yet not fully commoditised set of technologies underpinning the ‘fourth industrial revolution’. In particular, we reveal that by connecting a plurality of actors on the demand and supply side, public innovation intermediaries facilitate co-creation of complex technological solutions, and that in doing so, they create both social and economic value. The goals of examined co-creation activities revolve around finding highly innovative solutions to complex problems triggered by the digital transformation. The co-creation initiatives that we study take place at the national level, but their outputs have broader impact on the activities of the parties involved.
Our evidence suggests that, when co-creating a complex technological solution, the intermediary is involved in two complementary, often intertwined, but distinct processes that bring together organisations that demand technology and those that supply technological solutions. On the demand side, the intermediary helps the organisation looking for a technological solution (a large company, an SME, or a municipality) to articulate their demand, and eventually find it as well. We call this ‘demand-led’ co-creation. On the supply side, the intermediary brings together a system of technology providers (large companies, SMEs, universities and public research or-ganisations) able to devise, develop and implement a technological solution to match the needs of the organisation on the demand side. We call this ‘supply-led’ co-creation. The intermediary is present from the beginning to the end of the co-creation processes, with its activities extending beyond co-creation processes to ensure post-project continuity between the involved actors.
Among demand-led co-creation processes, we identified at least two different approaches devised by Catapults and Pôles de compétitivité - the development of an open challenge, and the development of a proof-of concept. On the supply side, we noted the creation of the so-called ‘groupement’ of SMEs by pôles de compétitivité, whereby the pôle facilitates the creation of a value-chain that is able to respond to complex demands of organisations looking for technolog-ical solutions.
Our study shows that public intermediaries are able to play their unique role in co-creation processes thanks to several factors: the legitimacy they have to act as intermediaries, as they are endowed with public mandates; the presence of long-term public funding that enables interme-diaries to be perceived as neutral agents, to gain reputation and trust over time; the networks of trusted experts on whom they can rely to successfully complete their mission; a well functioning evaluation process that spurs intermediaries to act effectively and efficiently and to be respon-sive to demands from their stakeholders
Institutionalising the digital transition: The role of digital innovation intermediaries
No full textWe examine how digital innovation intermediaries, mandated to support the digital transition as part of digital policy agendas, engage in institutional work to facilitate the adoption and diffusion of digital technologies. Building on neoinstitutional theory and the socio-technical transitions literature, our investigation aims to uncover intermediaries' institutional work on cultural-cognitive, normative, and regulative institutions across three levels of intermediation: organisation-, network- and ecosystem level. Based on a large evidence base related to 18 publicly-funded digital innovation intermediaries in France, including primary and secondary sources, we uncover the various forms of institutional work intermediaries engage in while facilitating the digital transition. We find that intermediaries' institutional work focuses on disrupting symbolic systems, creating relational systems and artefacts, and creating and maintaining routines. Intermediaries carry out different kinds of institutional work at different levels of intermediation. Furthermore, different types of intermediaries focus on distinct levels of intermediation and different institutions. Implications for policy and management are discussed
New business models for public innovation intermediaries supporting emerging innovation systems: the case of the Internet of Things
No full textIn several countries, governments have assigned to public innovation intermediaries (PIIs) the mandate to support the digital transition, by facilitating the development and adoption of new digital technologies on the part of firms and other organisations. This new mandate requires PIIs to upgrade their business models, moving beyond their traditional involvement in firms’ technology upgrading and university-industry knowledge transfer, toward supporting the creation of new innovation systems around the emerging digital technologies. To understand how PIIs are reconfiguring their business models to support the digital transition, we study four cases of PIIs operating in the United Kingdom and France, whose mandates include providing support for firms and other organisations in the implementation of new digital technologies, focusing in particular on the Internet of Things (IoT). We show that, despite their differences, all four PIIs have substantially reconfigured their business models in similar ways in order to fulfil these mandates. Both the formal legitimacy arising from their policy mandate, and the knowledge resources and informal legitimacy they have developed, have played a decisive role in their ability to orchestrate the development of innovation systems around IoT
Mapping the distribution of Internet of Things competences across European regions
No full textDigital transformation is a key strategic issue for countries and regions aiming to boost economic growth, job creation, technology development and innovation. With a focus on the Internet of Things (IoT) the paper maps the potential of IoT technologies across European regions, using
textual analysis applied to the description of companies’ activities. Results identify three categories of regions (IoT leaders, co-designers and suppliers) capturing their potential to harness opportunities in IoT, based on the variety of IoT competences that are present. This mapping can support regional policies, particularly in the context of smart specialization strategies building on IoT systems
Mapping regional strengths in a key enabling technology: The distribution of Internet of Things competences across European regions
No full textThe Internet of Things (IoT) can trigger innovation processes across all sectors of the economy. However, this potential is not available to all regions. As with other ena-bling technologies, the competences required to develop IoT solutions are numerous and varied, ranging from hardware to software and related services, and are often pro-vided by different companies. To map the application potential of these technologies across European regions, we use textual analysis to identify the NACE codes associat-ed with five main IoT domains. We identify clusters of regions characterised by differ-ent mixes of competences in IoT technologies and we discuss the policy implications of our findings at both European and regional levels
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