Innovation vouchers are policy instruments supporting the collaboration of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with specialized knowledge suppliers. These innovation vouchers are typically appreciated by beneficiaries because of their simple application and reporting procedures. However, because of their small size, innovation vouchers seem to have relatively limited impacts. This study analyzes the outcome of an innovation voucher scheme through a survey of 582 Italian firms receiving these vouchers in 2011. Findings show that the effects of the vouchers are mainly indirect: the vouchers foster new skills development and trigger unforeseen results. Given the local nature of the voucher measure, results also control for geographical, technological, and social proximity among beneficiaries and suppliers.

Publicly funded collaborative projects can represent an embryonic form of open innovation, as they force firms to collaborate and share knowledge with external partners. In this vein, they can trigger the implementation of a broader set of open innovation practices, despite usually operating according to policy logics that are not always aligned with open innovation principles. However, further research is needed to understand whether and how implementation of different open innovation practices, such as publicly funded collaborative projects, entails the adoption of particular organisational changes. This paper aims at understanding how companies can leverage publicly funded collaborative projects to trigger the adoption of a broader set of open innovation practices, as well as the organisational changes to be implemented to exploit these practices. By conducting an exploratory case study of a leading white goods manufacturer, this paper shows how taking part in publicly funded collaborative projects allowed the company to trigger the adoption of a broader set of open innovation practices. This paper contributes to the debate on the contingent nature of open innovation by discussing the organisational dimensions on which the company should act to implement the different open innovation practices. It also provides evidence on a progressive approach for the adoption of open innovation practices triggered by publicly funded collaborative projects. In addition, this paper provides useful suggestions for managers and policymakers that are in charge of managing open innovation practices within companies and drafting funding opportunities that are consistent with open innovation principles, respectively.

Science and Technology Parks (STPs) are key elements of the infrastructure supporting the growth of today's global knowledge economy. STPs create environments that foster collaboration, innovation, and entrepreneurship, and provide innovation services to support new technology-based firms in their activities. However, despite the extensive research on STPs, limited evidence has been provided regarding their organization of a portfolio of innovation services. In this work, we deepen the organizational challenges in developing a portfolio of innovation services through the analysis of the literature and ethnographic research on six case studies of European STPs in Italy, Spain, and Switzerland. In conclusion, based on the literature and the case studies, we highlight i) the four main alternatives to include an innovation service in an STP's portfolio; ii) the fundamental six drivers influencing the choice between these different alternatives.

This paper defines and analyses incubators that mainly support start-ups with a significant social impact. In 2016, a survey was conducted on the 162 incubators active in Italy, and a total of 88 responses were received. An analysis of the literature and of this dataset led to the identification of three types of incubators: Business, Mixed, and Social. Thirty of the respondents sent information on their tenants. Thanks to the data regarding 247 tenants, it was possible to analyze the impact of the three different types of incubators (Business, Mixed, and Social) on the tenants’ growth through OLS regression analyses. A Social Incubator is here defined as an incubator that supports more than 50% of start-ups that aim to introduce a positive social impact. The study shows that Social Incubators perceive social impact measurement and training/consulting on business ethics and CSR as being more important services than other incubator types. The regression analyses explain that Social Incubators are as efficient as other incubators, in terms of tenants’ economic growth, notwithstanding the focus of Social Incubators on start-ups that do not pursue only economic objectives. Finally, this study indicates that policymakers can foster Social Incubators to support social entrepreneurship.

Despite the wealth of research on open innovation, the mechanisms that enable capturing value through adopting an open innovation approach remain largely unexplored. In this study, we focus on open innovation processes among firms and radical circles and shed light on the related value capture mechanisms. We rely on a detailed qualitative case analysis of collaborations between firms and three radical circles (i.e., Slow Food, Memphis, and the Free Software Foundation). Our case studies highlight that the firms captured value from collaborating with these radical circles through developing internal assets (reputational, organizational, intellectual and human, and technological) and new business models. Starting from these insights, the study offers several contributions to open innovation research as well as interesting avenues for future inquiry into this topic.