The last decade has seen a gradual rise in the practice of open innovation, such that recent data suggested nearly all organizations engage in at least some form of it. The importance of collaborating effectively with partners was underlined by new research from HSE University, which highlighted the prevalence of open innovation in Russian manufacturing.
The researchers compiled survey data from 2015 and 2018, with the surveys measuring innovation activity in manufacturing companies across Russia. Of the 1,200 or so firms included in the survey, over 800 were active in innovation in the last few years.
“With Russian data we have shown that firms able to create innovation of high degree of novelty usually interact with a wide range of partners, and, most importantly, closely cooperate with R&D organizations and universities in innovation,” the researchers say.
Cooperative innovation
The data shows that firms are cooperating with a range of partners, including value chain members, public authorities, competitors, consulting firms, or specific R&D institutions, such as universities. In total, the paper identified nine different types of partners.
The researchers assessed three distinct aspects of network interaction: the role of spatial distance, the choice of partner, and the duration of any joint projects between them. This allowed the researchers to determine the positive relationship between the openness of the innovation activity and the success of the innovation activity, both in terms of its novelty and export capacity.
The results reveal that while all external partnerships involve innovation creation, few firms were actively integrated into an extensive network of innovation partners. The most common strategy was a form of vertical cooperation, with both clients and suppliers involved in the innovation activity. What’s more, cooperation rarely extended beyond the borders of the firm’s geographic region, with activity largely short-term in nature.
“Despite the stereotypes about the unreadiness of Russian science to provide quality applied results, it is the active cooperation with universities and research organizations that turns out to be a characteristic feature of enterprises capable to create highly innovative products that are competitive in global markets,” the researchers say.
