10/21/2009 9:45:14 AM By
E.J. Reedy
I will be attending a mini-conference on user innovation which the National Science Foundation is putting on next month. It strikes me as something others might be interested in.
Research Mini-conference:
The Current Paradigm shift from Producer Innovation to Open User Innovation
Monday, 16 November 2009
1:00-4:30 pm
National Science Foundation
4201 Wilson Boulevard, Room 110
Arlington, VA 22230
Ever since Schumpeter (1934) promulgated his theory of economic development, economists and policymakers have assumed the dominant mode of innovation is a “producers’ model.” That is, it has been assumed that most important designs for innovations would originate from producers and be supplied to consumers via goods that were for sale. This long-held view of innovation has, in turn, led to public policies based on a theory of producer incentives.
Recently, however, innovation theory has been going through a paradigm shift – where it is increasingly recognized that open and collaborative user innovation increasingly dominates the traditional pattern of producer innovation under a wide range of conditions. Research needs now to explore and develop this new path. And related policy changes must be considered and assessed.
During this small, half-day workshop, a first session will compactly review what we currently know about open user innovation. A second session will provided interested meeting participants with a roundtable opportunity to discuss ideas and possible activities for a set of next steps in research and measurement on the user innovation topic.
Session I 1:00 to 2:30 pm
Presenters:
Prof. Eric Hippel, Sloan School of Management, MIT
Fred Gault, Professorial Fellow, UNU MERIT, and OECD
Prof. Jeroen de Jong, EIM and Rotterdam University, The Netherlands
TOPIC: Open User Innovation
What is it, what do we know about it, why is it driving out producer-centered innovation under many conditions? What are the important measurement and policy issues?
- General story of and evidence for the paradigm shift from closed, producer-centered innovation toward open, user innovation. Economic reasons for these changes.
- Data: Canada and Netherlands surveys on the frequency of user innovation among firms; UK survey of product modification and development by end users/consumers
- Status of measurement today: What we can measure reasonably well now; what are the key statistical indicator and data collection shortcomings?
- What are we likely to gain from better understanding and measurement of the user innovation phenomena? (business/economic opportunities, organization management, public policy, etc.)
Session II 2:45 to 4:30 pm
Session chair: Science Resources Statistics, NSF (to be announced)
TOPIC: Research and Policy Implications of Open User Innovation
To be conducted as a roundtable discussion among interested meeting participants. What are possible targets for the next stage of research on the topic?
- Participant reactions to and comments on Session I presentations
- Group perspective on where the user innovation ought to fit in the larger scheme of research on innovation and innovation policy analysis
- Discussion of what a next phase of user innovation research activities might most usefully look like.
- Discussion of next steps and action items.
Workshop Wrap-up and Close by 4:45 pm
(For questions about this conference, contact Mark Boroush, Div. of Science Resources Statistics, National Science Foundation, 703.292.8726, mboroush@nsf.gov)