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Open Innovation Challenge - supporting cooperation between corporates and startups
Published on 11 March 2020
Italy
Lazio
This is the good practice's implementation level. It can be national, regional or local.
About this good practice
Open Innovation is a systematic approach to engage and channel public/private resources to find solutions for specific business opportunities and needs.
As a facilitator, in 2015, Lazio Innova launched the first Open Innovation Challenge with the aim of supporting the whole entrepreneurial ecosystem (from large corporates to startups and talents) by offering the entire range of services required to ease either the innovation process for Large Corporates and the scale-up for startups.
The approach can be summarized in the following steps:
● Raise awareness of Large Corporates on the importance of open innovation and collaboration with startups;
● Guarantee open call for expression of interest of large/medium corporates to launch a challenge (expression of interest);
● Facilitate the open innovation assessment of Large Corporates through a team of experts from Lazio Innova;
● Leverage the Lazio startup ecosystem disseminating and promoting the large corporates needs (open innovation startup recruitment);
● Engage public financial resources to facilitate the challenge (i.e. mentoring, prize award) (open innovation public resources);
● Leverage private resources (sponsor corporate additional prizes – i.e. internship, additional prize money, experts human resources ..) (Open innovation leveraging private resources).
As a facilitator, in 2015, Lazio Innova launched the first Open Innovation Challenge with the aim of supporting the whole entrepreneurial ecosystem (from large corporates to startups and talents) by offering the entire range of services required to ease either the innovation process for Large Corporates and the scale-up for startups.
The approach can be summarized in the following steps:
● Raise awareness of Large Corporates on the importance of open innovation and collaboration with startups;
● Guarantee open call for expression of interest of large/medium corporates to launch a challenge (expression of interest);
● Facilitate the open innovation assessment of Large Corporates through a team of experts from Lazio Innova;
● Leverage the Lazio startup ecosystem disseminating and promoting the large corporates needs (open innovation startup recruitment);
● Engage public financial resources to facilitate the challenge (i.e. mentoring, prize award) (open innovation public resources);
● Leverage private resources (sponsor corporate additional prizes – i.e. internship, additional prize money, experts human resources ..) (Open innovation leveraging private resources).
Resources needed
Minimum budget is 20K€ for a single Open Innovation Challenge. It must include:
● Expert mentors facilitating startup-large corporate relationship;
● Prize award;
● Internal staff:4 full time staff;
● Promotion, dissemination and final event.
● Expert mentors facilitating startup-large corporate relationship;
● Prize award;
● Internal staff:4 full time staff;
● Promotion, dissemination and final event.
Evidence of success
● 9 Open Innovation Challenges with Large corporates;
● 54 startups involved in the Open Innovation process;
● 116 innovation proposal received from Startups;
● 7 commercial agreements signed between Large Corporates and Startups.
● 54 startups involved in the Open Innovation process;
● 116 innovation proposal received from Startups;
● 7 commercial agreements signed between Large Corporates and Startups.
Potential for learning or transfer
The Open Innovation Challenge has been conceived to be easily replicable with very few exceptions. The methodology was defined in steps easy to implement. Two pre-requisites are essential in supporting the execution of the program:
1) A long and deep process with the large company for the definition of the needs (technological, marketing..) to launch the challenge. In this respect many methodologies can be applied (design thinking, world cafè, 1to1 meetings, assessments..). Lazio Innova adopts 1to1 and assessment meetings to identify the problems to start the procedure;
2) Identification of the different cooperation agreement between startups and large corporates (commercial agreement, public procurement, R&D cooperation..) to guarantee the best results for the program.
Key partners: Accelerators, Universities and Incubators promoting information and support to Startups; Industrial Association supporting Open Innovation methodology in Large Corporates; Regional Government
1) A long and deep process with the large company for the definition of the needs (technological, marketing..) to launch the challenge. In this respect many methodologies can be applied (design thinking, world cafè, 1to1 meetings, assessments..). Lazio Innova adopts 1to1 and assessment meetings to identify the problems to start the procedure;
2) Identification of the different cooperation agreement between startups and large corporates (commercial agreement, public procurement, R&D cooperation..) to guarantee the best results for the program.
Key partners: Accelerators, Universities and Incubators promoting information and support to Startups; Industrial Association supporting Open Innovation methodology in Large Corporates; Regional Government
Further information
Website
Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.
Organisation
Lazio Innova SpA
Italy
Lazio
Contact
Head of European Projects Office