Call for papers: "Open Innovation Paradigm and University Ecosystems in Developing and Emerging Economies"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Technological Learning, Innovation and Development.

As innovation becomes more democratic, many of the best ideas for new products and services no longer originate in well-financed corporate and government laboratories. Instead, they come from almost anywhere and anyone. In this scenario, companies cannot afford to rely entirely on their own research, but instead should buy or license processes or inventions. Recently, open innovation has emerged as a new a paradigm, which assumes that firms can and should use external ideas as well as internal ideas, and internal and external paths to market, as they look to advance their technology.

 

It is to be noted that the open innovation paradigm should be adopted by the universities worldwide, as millions of dollars are being spent towards the research and development in universities across the globe, much of which has no relevance to the current developments. Secondly, there is dearth of empirical analyses of open innovation in the context of developing/emerging economies. Therefore, it is necessary to have wider discussions among the policy makers of universities and literature covering open access should be available for the rest of the globe to follow.

 

In this new paradigm, dedicated groups within the universities are now coming forward to help smooth interactions with industry partners, but the number is comparatively small and limited to only few universities. Attention is needed to help academics to develop the skills needed to identify, negotiate, setup and manage projects that deliver mutual benefit. There is an essential role to be played by university research offices, technology transfer and corporate liaison offices, as well as technology entrepreneurs. What is needed now is a framework for open innovation paradigm in the university ecosystem.

 

This special issue is planned to include contributed articles from Vice-Chancellors, Deans of Research, directors of industries-institute partnerships of various universities as well as the academicians who are working in this domain.

 

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The challenge and opportunity of open innovation
• Organising open innovation in the university ecosystem
• Distributed innovation systems
• Managing intellectual property
• Opening the idea-creation process
• Opening the idea-selection process
• Opening both idea generation and selection
• Determining the right open innovation strategy
• Generating and commercialising innovation
• Role of university department in open innovation
• Technoprenership
• Technology transfer and corporate liaison
• Framework and support by university grant commission towards open innovation

 

Important Dates

Submission deadline: 15 September, 2015

Acceptance/rejection notification: 15 November, 2015

Final paper due: 31 December, 2015