DEMO - Design meets open innovation

Research Project, 2013 – 2014

This project focuses on how design theory and design methodology can stimulate open innovation practice and help in handling some of the challenges that often arise when multiple partners are involved in the innovation process.

A first assignment within the project is to develop a methodology suited for an open innovation project associated with SAFER, an open innovation arena hosted by Chalmers. The assignment takes the KCP methodology as its departure, which was developed at Mines ParisTech to structure and stimulate idea generation and concept exploration within larger firms. In the open innovation context, there are challenges associated with handling disagreements and political strives between the partner organizations in order to achieve a joint outcome. Thus, the methodology needs to be furthered developed to take these specific challenges into consideration.

The project is based on an action research methodology, which implies a close collaboration between the researchers and the participating organizations and is a suitable method when aiming at understanding practices in use.