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Crowdsourcing Takes the Stress Out of Christmas Gift-Buying

Dec-18-12 By IdeaConnection
With only a few shopping days until Christmas it’s a nail-bitingly worrying time for those who haven’t yet decided what to give their loved ones. Gift buying should be one of the most pleasurable times of the festive season as you pick out items that you feel sure will delight kith and kin.

But it can also be a colossal headache if you can’t think of what to buy. Fortunately, the crowd can help as a number of websites have emerged where you can receive guidance from hundreds of strangers.

Crowdfunding Colombia’s Tallest Building

Dec-17-12 By IdeaConnection
According its developers BD Bacatá is the world’s first skyscraper to be built by common people.

At 66 stories the structure will be Colombia’s tallest building when it is completed, and the first ever crowdfunded skyscraper.

Henry Chesbrough’s Top Tips on Applying Open Innovation

Dec-14-12 By IdeaConnection
He is considered to be the 'father of open innovation', the man who brought the concept of engaging external sources of knowledge to a wider audience. So when he offers tips on how to apply open innovation it’s worth pricking up our ears.

In a short video posted by the World of Business Ideas, Prof Chesbrough discusses three ideas that companies need to adopt if they want to achieve successful outcomes with open innovation.  It includes getting over the ‘not invented here syndrome’ one of biggest obstacles to opening up and engaging with others.

Golden Opportunity to Pitch Global Business Leaders

Dec-13-12 By IdeaConnection
The Institute for Manufacturing (IfM) at the University of Cambridge, UK is offering companies a chance to pitch their creative ideas and solutions to some of the biggest names in global business.

At the Open Innovation Forum Pitch Event which takes place on 11 March, 2013 companies can pitch such organizations as Unilever, GlaxoSmithKline, Heinz, General Mills, Siemens, Tate & Lyle, and BAT.

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: