Making Innovation Flourish

From lightbulbs to 3D TV

Please note : This post has moved

Last week I was fortunate to spend a day at the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven in the Netherlands. The site itself is very impressive and hosts around 5000 engineers working on new technologies with ‘Open Innovation’ as their motto. And yet as recently as 2003, the site used to host just one big company, Philips.

Philips made a very deliberate decision to open up the way they operate, and the way they innovate. A clear indication of how things hare changed in a short space of time is the fact that there are now hosts over 40 businesses academic research institute and network called MiPlaza where companies share equipment and services such as cleanrooms. As a symbolic move, in 2005 they even removed the Philips sign at the entrance to the site, despite the major historical connections with the site.

We were fortunate to hear their Chief Technology Officer talk about their approach to open innovation. They now realise that it is much easier to sell successful businesses than it is to sell new technologies, and so they active spin out companies or technologies in the same was as many Universities.

I always find it fascinated to see how organisations re-invent themselves but this was made blatantly clear when we saw how Philips has moved on from starting out in lighting, progressing into Consumer Electronics, and now with a major focus is on Healthcare. The best ‘I want one of those’ moments came when they showcased a pretty spectacular 3D TV – like 3D cinema but without the cardboard red and green specs.

I am struck by the desire and ambition of companies like Philips to engage with ‘the outside world’ in a proactive way, and the opportunities for smaller companies, universities or individuals are significant, though it’s not always easy. Therefore, the theme of corporate open innovation is one of the three core themes that we will investigate through NESTA Connect launching in 2 weeks tomorrow and we’ll post again on this subject over the coming months.

Corporate Open Innovation - Hype or Reality?

I attended and spoke at a very well run City-Zone networking event on Corporate Open Innovation on Wednesday which had a lively debate around this theme. The room seemed to be split as to whether 'open innovation' was truly a new phenomenon or just the latest management fad. Proctor and Gamble and Oracle presented how they are actively engaging their supply chain, small companies, or customers to innovate. I added to these examples and talked about how IBM in particular are taking a very enlightened approach to innovation as described in their Global Innovation Outlook report.

My own view is that there is undoubtedly hype and spin around the theme of 'open innovation' at the moment, and the reality of innovating and managing IP is a particular problem that needs resolving. Having said that, I believe the evidence that open networking and partnering leads to better, and more innovation, and is increasingly the way innovation is happening and will happen in the future. I find the work of Lakhani and Burt compelling in this area. Corporates have strong brands and the infrastructure to take a product or service to market. But the enthusiasm, ideas and ability to execute often lies outside of the business. Therefore, I believe we are seeing a new way of working and innovating emerging but there is still a long way to go.

Launch of Innovation Challenges

So now NESTA has stepped boldly out onto the stage of social innovation – a place where many crucial reforms in public services are likely to take shape over the next few years. Last night’s launch event was positive and energetic, and our key announcements were received well by a distinguished group of health experts, policy makers and practitioners. Challenge aims to be a key partner to third sector organisations, communities, individual entrepreneurs and government bodies in seeking out and supporting radical (and sometimes just plain sensible) innovations, and last night was an important step in building these relationships.