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Pioneering Open Innovation Contest in Russia

Feb-28-13 By IdeaConnection
This weekend sees the Grand Final of the Aeroflot Open International Innovation contest, the first open innovation competition of its kind to be held in Russia.

Aeroflot is a leading Russian air carrier and the contest is looking for novel in-flight entertainment concepts.

Crowdsourcing Helping to Stop a Killer Bacterium in its Tracks

Feb-27-13 By IdeaConnection
E. coli (Escherichia coli) is a common bacterium that lives in the human gut. Most of the time, it’s a useful fellow, helping us to digest our food among other things. Most strains are harmless. But in some situations they can turn nasty and cause disease. On occasion they can be fatal.

One of the biggest outbreaks of E. coli in decades occurred in 2011. An unusual strain claimed 50 lives and hospitalized more than 4,000 others across Europe. Its source was unknown. To get some answers quickly, scientists turned to crowdsourcing.

Rise of Open Innovation Among Asia Pacific Companies

Feb-26-13 By IdeaConnection
Awareness and adoption of open innovation are on the rise, driven by success stories and the economic climate. This has been known anecdotally for some time, but it’s also being backed up by powerful research.

One of the most significant studies was the Frost & Sullivan report titled 'Open Innovation 2012' that revealed that Asia-Pacific companies are way out in front when it comes to dedicating staff to open innovation.

Efficiency versus Value – The New Innovation Equation

Feb-25-13 By Rowan Gibson
When the economic barometer is pointing upward, all the talk in company boardrooms is about growth, innovation and value creation. When the global economy lingers in the doldrums, corporate strategy shifts inexorably back to the safe haven of operational efficiency. Now you might argue that this reaction is both inevitable and understandable, and I would accept that at some level. But remember this: something far deeper and more significant than these periodic upswings and downswings is the fact that we are now in a new kind of economic era. An era in which fanatical cost-cutting, downsizing, lean Six-Sigma, mergers and acquisitions, supply chain management, off shoring or outsourcing are no longer the basis for competitive advantage.

Open Innovation Insights from Prof. Henry Chesbrough

Feb-24-13 By IdeaConnection
Catch up with some of the latest thoughts on open innovation with OI guru Prof. Henry Chesbrough.

The Faculty Director of the Garwood Center for Corporate Innovation at the University of California, Berkeley has recently given an interview to the Intelligent HQ website. It covers some of the ground featured in his 2011 tome In Open Services Innovation: Rethinking Your Business to Grow and Compete in a New Era.

Alberta Launches $35 Million Open Innovation Carbon Challenge

Feb-23-13 By IdeaConnection
Mildred Lake mine site and plant at the Athabasca Oil Sands.

The Canadian province of Alberta, known for its oil and gas industry has just launched a $35 million open innovation competition to create commercially available carbon-based products that will provide net reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

The contest is being organised by the Climate Change and Emissions Management (CCEMC) Corporation and it’s seeking novel products and technologies that will transform carbon from a burden to an asset.

Open Innovation Hits the Fashion Runways

Feb-21-13 By IdeaConnection
Top designer Telfar Clemens used a crowdsourcing approach to determine the makeup of his Fall/Winter collection. It was seen on the runways of New York Fashion Week, held earlier this month and was an interesting exercise in consumer engagement.

By involving the public early in the fashion process brands may be able to gain an understanding of what consumers really want and incorporate some of their best ideas. Early consumer engagement also helps to secure buy-in that can create brand advocates and prime an audience for future sales.

Crowdsourcing Videos of Cycle Routes to Help Plan Trips

Feb-19-13 By IdeaConnection
Cyclists are being given a helpful push out the front door with a crowdsourcing project that lets them preview their routes before they set off.

Cyclodeo is a Netherlands-based web platform where users can post videos of cycling routes, allowing others to plan their journeys and see in advance where they’ll be going.

Open Innovation to Help the Poor and Vulnerable

Feb-17-13 By IdeaConnection
Open innovation is not just about accelerating innovation to boost bottom lines.

The intellect, experience and wisdom of the crowd can also be harnessed to tackle poverty and the aftermath of natural disasters. Here are three examples of open innovation for the common good:

Australian Band Crowdfunds an Album in Days

Feb-14-13 By IdeaConnection
Hiring a recording studio to make an album and then distributing the music to the public does not come cheap.  It is beyond the wallets of many bands.

Australian indie outfit Underground Lovers recently turned to their fans for help to make Weekend, a follow up to their 2011 album. On Thursday last week they announced they would be using crowdfunding platform PledgeMusic. By the end of the weekend they had the funds they needed.