Developing new platform chemicals: what is required for a new bio-based molecule to become a platform chemical in the bioeconomy?

This paper proposes a framework with six dimensions that can be useful for evaluating the potential and the current stage of a bio-based platform chemical. The framework considers the technological and strategic challenges to be fulfilled by a company that intends to lead a platform based on a bio-based chemical. A platform chemical should be an intermediate molecule, with a structure able to generate a number of derivatives, that is produced at a competitive cost, capable of allowing exploitation of the scale and scope economies, and inserted within a complete innovation ecosystem that is able to create value with governance mechanisms that are capable of allowing coordination of the innovation process and facilitation of the value capture by the focal company leading the platform, in our case the producer of the platform molecule. Based on these six dimensions, three potential platform chemicals – succinic acid, butanol and farnesene – are compared and discussed. It is possible to identify important differences concerning the technological dimensions and the strategic dimensions as well. Two of the molecules – farnesene and succinic acid – adhere to most of the conditions required to structure a platform chemical. However, the innovation ecosystem is not complete and the governance mechanisms are still under development, so it is not clear if they will be capable of allowing a favorable position for value capture by the platform leader. Butanol structuring for a platform does not seem promising. The potential of the molecule is apparently not high and the strategic initiatives are in general not focused on innovation ecosystem structuring.

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Is Co-working Increase Survivability? Study on how Collaborating and Networking Facilitates Open Innovation Process for Startups

International Journal of New Media Technology ◽

10.31937/ijnmt.v7i1.1288 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 68-75

Author(s):

Elissa Dwi Lestari

Keyword(s):

Open Innovation ◽

Deep Understanding ◽

Innovation Process ◽

Future Research ◽

Innovation Ecosystem ◽

Quantitative Studies ◽

Multiple Case ◽

Start Ups ◽

Community Manager

Startups, as they are bounded to their liabilities of newness and smallness, need to collaborate extensively with their external partners through the open innovation process. This study aims to depict Co-working space's pivotal role in building up a working innovation ecosystem that facilitates open innovation for startups. To get a more deep understanding of the phenomena, this study used an exploratory study based on three case studies of Co-working spaces operated in the Jakarta region. The study shows that the open innovation process among startups is not naturally existed, but instead, it is purposefully designed by the role of a community manager who acts as the ecosystem catalyst. The community manager becomes the ecosystem enablers that facilitate the networking process by connecting members. As a result, these activities will help the emerging of mutual connection and collaboration processes among members that empower open innovation among startups members. The multiple-case design makes the study conclusions might be difficult to generalize. Future research, including quantitative studies, will help the conclusions examination and the knowledge enrichment of start-ups' open innovation process. This paper will enrich the knowledge concerning how Co-working spaces member seizing opportunities that lead to the open innovation process.

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Insider action research towards companywide sustainable product innovation: ecodesign transition framework

International Journal of Managing Projects in Business ◽

10.1108/ijmpb-02-2020-0043 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Fabien Brones ◽

Eduardo Zancul ◽

Marly M. Carvalho

Keyword(s):

Action Research ◽

Product Innovation ◽

Innovation Management ◽

Innovation Process ◽

Content Type ◽

Sustainable Innovation ◽

Insider Action Research ◽

Main Action ◽

A Company ◽

Practical Implications

PurposeThis study discusses the application of Insider Action Research to the systematic integration of an environmental perspective into industrial product innovation processes and projects. Applying Insider Action Research, it aims at a broader integration between top-down and bottom-up and soft and hard perspectives in the intersection of ecodesign and innovation and project management disciplines.Design/methodology/approachThe research design is based on action research and specificities from Insider Action Research to capture the change and transition aspects involving two main action research cycles. The longitudinal five-year research was carried out within a Brazilian cosmetics company. The outcomes of these cycles are analysed including customisation of ecodesign tools and related application, and views of different stakeholders of the challenge for the transition.FindingsThis paper describes an action research application aiming at faster learning loops in the field of sustainable innovation management. As a second contribution, an Ecodesign Transition Framework (ETF) is proposed, combining both technical and soft sides. The proposed framework is structured in three levels (strategic, tactical and operational), with two complementary perspectives of a mature ecodesign pattern and a transition pathway.Practical implicationsThe action research led to the intended outcomes both on the applied side, with increased diffusion of ecodesign in the company, and on the research side, with the ETF formulation and application. Practitioners interested in sustainable innovation can follow the ETF procedures, challenges faced, lessons learnt and conclusions.Originality/valueThe Insider Action Research addressed the literature gap to better relate the recommendations in the field to business reality. The resulting ETF brings a novel perspective for integrating environmental considerations in the product innovation process of a company. It organises the soft issues to be considered for the necessary transition towards such integration, consolidating and advancing previous theoretical views of ecodesign, with associated new practical implications.

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Accelerating chemical start-ups in ecosystems: the need for biotopes

European Journal of Innovation Management ◽

10.1108/ejim-10-2015-0102 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

pp. 135-152 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Maarten J.G.M. van Gils ◽

Floris P.J.T. Rutjes

Keyword(s):

Open Innovation ◽

Organizational Capacity ◽

Innovation Process ◽

Ecosystem Model ◽

Innovation Ecosystem ◽

Content Type ◽

Start Up ◽

Innovation Practices ◽

Start Ups

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to clarify the relationship between start-ups and an innovation ecosystem. Start-ups need resources available in the ecosystem to grow, but experience organizational capacity limitations during their open innovation practices. This study frames the “open innovation” interface and discloses ways to accelerate the process of connecting start-ups’ demands to ecosystem’s supplies. Design/methodology/approach A case study was used to describe the development of a conceptual ecosystem model to frame the “open innovation” interface and its subsequent implementation at nine start-up hotspots in the Dutch chemical industry. To develop the ecosystem model, the system of innovation concept was enriched with the perspective of a chemical start-up to pinpoint critical resources for growth. Findings It is suggested that the most relevant “open innovation” interface for start-ups looking to grow is an innovation biotope: a well-defined, business-oriented cross-section of an ecosystem. All stakeholders in a biotope are carefully selected based on the entrepreneurial issue at stake: they can only enter the secured marketplace if they are able to provide dedicated solutions to start-ups. The biotope enables “open innovation in a closed system” which results in acceleration of the innovation process. Originality/value This is the first study to report on the definition and implementation of an innovation biotope as the “open innovation” interface between an ecosystem and start-ups. In addition, it provides a powerful tool, the ecosystem canvas, that can help both regional and national innovation systems to visualize their ecosystem and identify blind spots.

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Observations From Radical Innovation Projects Considering the Company Context

Journal of Mechanical Design ◽

10.1115/1.4023150 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 135 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Bernard Yannou ◽

Marija Jankovic ◽

Yann Leroy ◽

Gül E. Okudan Kremer

Keyword(s):

Idea Generation ◽

Innovation Process ◽

Contextual Variables ◽

Fuzzy Front End ◽

Product Service ◽

Innovation Projects ◽

Protocol Study ◽

Conditional Inferences ◽

A Company ◽

Problem Setting

The development of product-service innovation projects within the context of a company is not yet supported by clear theories and methodologies. Our objective is to analyze innovation and idea generation for such projects from the fuzzy front end to the selected design concept, assessing their potential to be successfully developed and launched on the market. We present a protocol study, using which data derived from 19 innovation projects of five types and conducted by 86 students are analyzed. Sixty-one variables are observed, thus generating 700 data vectors. Bayesian network learning is used to explore conditional inferences among these variables. We examine conditional probabilities between the innovation process means and the significant results produced for the company, modulated by the influence of contextual variables. A number of surprising findings are drawn about the link between problem setting and problem solving processes, the importance of certain contextual variables, and the potential discrepancies between the apparent and produced results of innovative projects. Conducted analyses imply the need for novel innovation evaluation frameworks.

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DIFFERENT MODES OF OPEN INNOVATION: A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND AN EMPIRICAL STUDY

International Journal of Innovation Management ◽

10.1142/s1363919609002443 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 13 (04) ◽

pp. 615-636 ◽

Cited By ~ 131

Author(s):

VALENTINA LAZZAROTTI ◽

RAFFAELLA MANZINI

Keyword(s):

Empirical Study ◽

Open Innovation ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Innovation Process ◽

Theoretical Framework ◽

Innovation Activities ◽

Innovation Modes ◽

A Company

Starting from the several conceptual and empirical studies about open innovation modes, this paper attempts to integrate them by suggesting a framework which reveals four basic ways to collaborate. Two variables are considered that represent the degree of openness for a company: (i) the number/type of partners with which the company collaborates, briefly labelled as "partner variety"; (ii) the number/type of phases of the innovation process that the company opens to external contributions, briefly labelled as "innovation funnel openness". By crossing these two variables, four basic modes of open innovation are identified: closed innovators, open innovators, specialized collaborators and integrated collaborators. The framework shows its practical validity in an empirical study that is conducted in Italy with the specific aim at verifying whether companies can really be mapped using this framework, i.e. whether the four modes of open innovation can be found in real companies (framework applicability); whether different modes correspond to different companies' strategies, capabilities, organisational and managerial processes (framework explicative power and usefulness). The framework shows that, in some cases, being totally open in innovation activities is not the only and most suitable option, but that different degrees and ways of "openness" can be implemented successfully, as well as the totally closed option.

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Adaptation of Innovations in the IT Industry in Poland: The Impact of Selected Internal Communication Factors

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su14010140 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 140

Author(s):

Józef Ober ◽

Anna Kochmańska

Keyword(s):

New Technologies ◽

Innovation Process ◽

Internal Communication ◽

Literature Analysis ◽

It Industry ◽

Pilot Studies ◽

Expert Opinions ◽

The Individual ◽

The Impact ◽

A Company

Adaptation of innovations by employees, especially in hi-tech industries, is very important from the perspectives of both implementing new technologies and maintaining competitiveness in today’s dynamic market. The paper analyzes selected internal communication factors in terms of their potential impacts on the adaptation of innovations in information technology (IT) companies in Poland. These factors were determined on the basis of a literature analysis, opinions of panel participants (experts), and pilot studies that have been conducted. The undoubtedly innovative element is the study of the impact of the above-mentioned factors on the individual stages of innovation. The aim of the study was to identify and assess the perception of the influence of selected factors related to internal communication in a company on the adaptation of innovation by employees of the IT industry in Poland, taking into account the different stages of the implementation. The hypothesis of the study was that selected internal communication factors have different effects on innovation adoption at different stages of the innovation process. The study combined expert opinions and a literature analysis with a diagnostic survey (questionnaire) and a statistical analysis. The questionnaire survey allowed the examination of the opinions of the respondents about the impacts of 12 factors related to internal communication in the company on the adaptation of innovation. The results of the study confirmed the hypothesis and allowed the formulation of theoretical and practical conclusions that can be applied when introducing innovations.

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The innovation process in a company supplying inputs for steel marketmetallurgical world market: a case study at Alpha S/A

Revista Gestão da Produção Operações e Sistemas ◽

10.15675/gepros.v10i2.1230 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

Keyword(s):

Innovation Process ◽

World Market ◽

A Company

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Innovation Ecosystems for the Moldovan Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Marketing and Management of Innovations ◽

10.21272/mmi.2020.2-22 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 298-312

Author(s):

Iveta Ubreziova ◽

Anna Diacikova ◽

Oksana Sokil ◽

Stefan Apostol

Keyword(s):

National Level ◽

Innovation Process ◽

Primary Data ◽

Highly Qualified ◽

Innovation Ecosystem ◽

Statistical Research ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

National Budget ◽

The Republic ◽

High Level

In the last decades, the word 'innovation' can be heard more and more on the entrepreneurial side. It has a crucial role in satisfying the customers, competition with other companies, and increasing the turnover of the enterprises. SME's economic performance is directly affecting the national budget. Still, there is not a precise method of assessing and improving the innovation process at neither firm nor national level. The paper aims to analyze the current innovative performance of Moldovan SMEs. The analysis will explore factors affecting enterprise innovation. It will determine how the existing innovation ecosystem affects the one in an enterprise, and what methods should be applied to improve innovation as well as the ecosystem. To gain insight, the study conducted an email survey of 150 companies, which were the object for research in the Republic of Moldova. The primary purpose of the study is to emphasize the importance of innovation issues related to increasing SME's competitiveness, in connection with presenting the theoretical aspects in the field, proving basic concepts and quantifying them in the study of innovation as well as various forms, types, and factors influencing innovative organizations. The objective of these enterprise questionnaires is to accumulate substantial and reliable information that is significant to responding to the fundamental research questions. Methodological tools of the research methods were the tools for statistical analysis based on using primary data from the questionnaire research. The reference period for statistical research was 2013 and 2017. The author collected the data between August and September 2018 based on questionnaires filled in on paper or sent through the email by the enterprises included in the research. The results of the study provide the following insights: product innovation is the primary innovation type among Moldovan SMEs; the country lacks financial resources for innovation support. Also, Moldova's weak innovation ecosystem and lack of highly qualified workers slow down the development of enterprises. At the end of the thesis, several recommendations for enterprise managers as well as high-level government organizations were provided. Keywords ecosystems, entrepreneurs, innovation, small and medium-sized enterprises, SMEs, Moldova.

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Analysis of the Local Innovation and Entrepreneurial System Structure Towards the ‘Wrocław Innovation Ecosystem’ Concept Development

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su122310086 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (23) ◽

pp. 10086

Author(s):

Joanna Helman

Keyword(s):

Innovation System ◽

Ecosystem Model ◽

Theoretical Concept ◽

System Structure ◽

Policy Framework ◽

Innovation Ecosystem ◽

Model Concept ◽

Value Capture ◽

Sustainable Regional Development ◽

Ethnographic Analysis

The city of Wrocław is an important Polish center for creating innovations and modern technological solutions. In general, Polish innovation system is having problems with a lack of cooperation among different actors, a low level of commercialization and a weak uptake of technologies. Based on that, the objectives of this paper were set on the identification of the local innovation and entrepreneurial opportunities, the analysis of the current innovation system and the development of a community’s ecosystem theoretical concept. Currently, in Wrocław, many organizations are dealing with innovation. To assess the regional situation of the innovation system the ethnographic analysis was conducted. Each of the stakeholder segments was analyzed based on the resources, activities, value addition and value capture factors. The research showed a huge potential for creating an innovation ecosystem, however due to the variety of different activities, there is no common Innovation Ecosystem. Based on the analysis results, the Ecosystem Pie Model tool was used to create the ecosystem model concept. Research showed a huge potential for creating an innovation ecosystem. Therefore, Wrocław should aim to create a development policy framework that favors entrepreneurial innovation and will allow sustainable regional development.

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