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Engaging Open Innovation in Ireland

Dec-11-12 By IdeaConnection
Companies that engage in innovation are three times as successful as those that do not, according to a new report from business development body InterTradeIreland.

‘Leveraging the Innovation Ecosystem for Business Advantage’, covered the experiences of more than 1,100 firms on the island of Ireland. It focused on their engagement with the innovation ecosystem and on their capabilities.

Increasing Pharma Drug Pipeline with Open Innovation

Dec-10-12 By IdeaConnection
An article posted on the Genetic Engineering and Biotechnological News website provides commentary on the pharma industry’s engagement with open innovation.

It features an intriguing observation of Patrick Vallance, president, pharmaceuticals R&D at GlaxoSmithKline. He notes that when R&D costs were spiraling the drug pipeline was small. But today, as budgets are shrinking the pipeline is growing.  Vallance attributes the increase in productivity to pharma companies becoming more outward-facing.

Star Wars Fans to Crowdsource Han Solo’s Spaceship

Dec-05-12 By IdeaConnection
Star Wars fans have crowdsourcing fever once again. Following the crowdsourced version of the original 1977 film, fans are combining forces once again - or is there only one force?

This time it's to construct a real-life version of Han Solo’s Millennium Falcon spacecraft.

Multi-National Manufacturing Company Embraces Open Innovation

Dec-03-12 By IdeaConnection
Exciting news is rippling through the chemical industry as multinational Israeli manufacturing company Israel Chemicals Ltd (also known as ICL) has announced that it is embarking on an open innovation program to accelerate its development of sustainable new products and processes.

The firm is hoping that reaching out to expertise beyond its borders will drive future growth.

How Citizens in Developing Nations can Design their Future Cities

Nov-30-12 By IdeaConnection
People living in some cities in developing countries are going to be given a big say in the shape of their surroundings - via a computer game.

Block by Block is a project being run by the United Nations and facilitated through a construction-based video game called Minecraft.

The Pros and Cons of Crowdsourcing Contests

Nov-29-12 By IdeaConnection
Prize-based contests can be powerful ways to drive innovation and help firms  solve their R&D problems.

However, when they are poorly designed, too broadly scoped, and badly managed they can become nightmares that chew up a company’s resources. What follows is a list of some of the pros and cons of crowdsourced contests:

 

 

The Netherlands Embraces Open Innovation with National OI Festival

Nov-28-12 By IdeaConnection
This week open innovation fever is spreading throughout the Netherlands as the Dutch hold their Open Innovation Festival. It is a fantastic opportunity for public sector organizations to learn about the fundamentals and possibilities of this key business strategy.

Five Open Innovation Initiatives that are Getting Us Moving

Nov-27-12 By IdeaConnection
Crowdsourcing and open innovation are catalysts for innovative thinking that can be applied to anything from pharmaceuticals to packaging, and engineering to the environment. Keen to maximize the opportunities afforded by engaging diverse experts, the transport industry has launched numerous competitions and initiatives to uncover new thinking about how we should be moving on land, sea and in the air.

Here are five approaches that have caught our eye over the years:

Sports Illustrated to Crowdsource its Front Cover

Nov-26-12 By IdeaConnection
Readers and fans of Sports Illustrated are being invited to choose the cover photo of the magazine’s year-end cover. Voting takes places on the its Facebook fan page and three categories are presented: moment of the year which will appear in the December 31st edition, and picture and performer of the year which will feature in the previous two issues.

UK Government Turns to the Crowd for Input into its Freedom of Information Legislation

Nov-25-12 By IdeaConnection
The UK’s Freedom of Information legislation creates a right of ‘public access’ to information held by public bodies.

Currently the government wants to hear views on how a draft code of practice to be used by local authorities can be enhanced and improved.