Module 7: Building your Open Innovation ecosystem

Evangelia Chatzikonstantinou, Panagiotis Kallianis, Stylianos Portokalidis, Maria Symeonidou

Open Innovation Ecosystem

Managing to build an Open Innovation ecosystem, is certainly an important opportunity for SMEs in the agri-food sector to extend their value as businesses. The Open Innovation strategy will help them on this process via many ways. Following this strategy means that it will assist in developing IT skills and improving the digitalization of a business by using the opportunities given from Open Data and Big Data.

Apart from that, the most important aspect to be prioritized is Networking Development. Through networking, one can extend their collaborations, exchange innovative ideas with other SMEs and co-operate with public actors, such as chambers, municipalities, universities etc. Furthermore, Open Innovation strategy will assist in selecting the appropriate partners for entering wider markets and being more competitive, by doing strategic choices for every issue and by taking advantage of every opportunity given.

Upon completing this module, you should be able to:

• organize an Open Innovation strategy and incorporate it in their business
• evaluate the importance of Big Data and Open Data in Open Innovation
• develop effective collaborations and build networks
• apply the Open Innovation strategy when searching for and selecting appropriate partners for entering wider markets while being more competitive