The journey in Open Innovation to develop a SME: A longitudinal case study in a French robotics company

Abstract

Open innovation has become a major topic in innovation management. Research however has mostly focused on large companies, in the area of inbound open innovation, on the technological scope or industrial protection. The topic of outbound open innovation, the processes implemented and the management practices deployed in SMEs have been less well investigated. This article aims to go some way towards filling this gap. A collaborative longitudinal case study was carried out by a researcher and two practitioners in a robotics SME. The results show the impact, mainly positive, of open innovation on the company. The functions of technological gatekeeper and "innovation project promoter", created while the open innovation process was being established, are illustrated through the examples of previous collaborative projects and a current major research European project applied to robotics in which the company is involved.