Abstract:

The paper provides a methodology for defining open innovation models, based on accounting transactions in inbound and outbound activities. Five models emerge: R&D collaboration, R&D outsourcing, IP licensing, purchase of technology and incorporation. The framework is applied to a sample of 335 worldwide top R&D spending companies in automotive, bio-pharmaceutical and technology hardware & equipment industries for the three years period 2010-2012. Results show that bio-pharmaceutical companies are far more open than the other two industries and mostly focus on the collaboration in the R&D process. Automotive and technology hardware companies, on the contrary, mostly rely on incorporation and purchase of already patented technologies.
This work contributes to the research on open innovation by defining the models that companies may adopt to foster open innovation. From a managerial point of view, the framework can be used by companies for assessing the status of their own open strategies, also allowing the benchmarking with competitors.