Open innovation has been embedded in the innovation strategies by many large corporations, often motivated by market-related arguments, e.g. meeting customer demands or driven by needs such as collecting new ideas/knowledge, improving innovative performances, securing continuous growth and financial security. On the other side, smaller businesses are still facing a spectrum of specific challenges when accepting and implementing Open innovation models in their businesses. Organizational and cultural barriers, limited resources in terms of available funds, time and skills, misinterpretation of the market/customer requirements are some of the main barriers why SMEs are not encouraged to easily accept this approach. It is still the common case that SMEs are relying on their internal-oriented practices and acting only in limed ranges (frequently only in the own business sectors), where the potentials for innovation-related information flows and collaboration opportunities are usually limited in all terms.
As it is evident that innovation developments are shifting from the linear bilateral relations towards the dynamic networks and multi-collaborative innovation environments, the innovations are not more the outcomes of the isolated and stand-alone activates, but rather a consequence of complex processes involving flows across the entire economic and social mediums. Recognising the importance for redirecting towards the new business options and at the same time aiming at boosting the incentives supporting the implementation of Open innovation models by SMEs, InnTense Project is oriented towards the exploration of the current trends related to the Open innovation practices and the development of a method which will offer comprehensive support in overcoming the barriers for successful application of the Open innovation models and its deployment on the broader levels.
Three Innovation agencies applied the peer leering, aimed at setting up the consistent methodology for the innovation support for SMEs and simultaneously allow the establishment of the permanent learning instrument which can be applied by other Innovation agencies, providing the same or similar innovation support services. These objectives were achieved by integrating empirical findings based on analysis of the best practice examples and drawing attention to future agenda to facilitate and support the OI in SMEs. The results have been documented at the Design Option Paper which identifies and document implementation options, guidelines and alternatives acknowledged by the InnTense partners and provide the recommendations for the other innovation support agencies.
