Measuring Open and Cross Innovation
For a long time, technical innovations dominated the innovation landscape in both business and research. Measurement techniques almost solely focused on technical innovations and followed the logics of quantifiability: the more patents you had, the more innovative you were. Economic exploitation was the utter goal. In recent years, however, non-technical innovations have gained importance. Non-technical innovations for example include processes and “hidden innovations” that are produced predominantly by the creative industries and other knowledge-intense sectors and often address social problems. Their (often intangible) characteristics make them difficult to measure and their exploitation logic is not only of purely economic nature. Rather, they provide benefits for civil society and the environment in an expanded profit orientation term.
In order to further draw attention to the importance of non-technical innovations, the Cross Innovation Hub in cooperation with Science Scout Hamburg has developed a White Paper on the stimulation and measurement of cross-and open innovation processes, which will be discussed with the audience. Presenting different cases, we will share our approaches to measurement, challenges we face and ideas we have for the future.