Title: How to measure collaboration in an open innovation context

Authors: Emilia Lamberti; Mauro Caputo; Francesca Michelino; Antonello Cammarano

Addresses: Department of Industrial Engineering, Università degli Studi di Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy ' Department of Industrial Engineering, Università degli Studi di Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy ' Department of Industrial Engineering, Università degli Studi di Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy ' Department of Industrial Engineering, Università degli Studi di Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy

Abstract: The paper suggests a multidimensional measurement system assessing collaboration in an open innovation context by the use of: 1) costs and revenues deriving from joint development processes; 2) joint patents as the outcome of such activities. Three metrics are introduced to evaluate the weight of collaborations on both the total business of companies and their patent portfolio: collaboration costs share, collaboration revenues share and joint patents share. A sample of 114 worldwide top R&D spending bio-pharmaceutical firms is analysed and eight clusters are defined, from closed sole-patenting to coupled joint-patenting. The work proposes a novel way to assess collaboration processes, identifying their impact on the business model of companies. Furthermore, it integrates metrics for collaboration process and outputs within a comprehensive measurement system. Drawing on objective and available data from both consolidated annual reports and PATSTAT, the framework allows managers to evaluate the collaborative position of their firms, monitoring its evolution and benchmarking with competitors.

Keywords: R&D collaboration; open innovation; joint patents; innovation metrics; bio-pharmaceutical industry.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBIR.2017.087090

International Journal of Business Innovation and Research, 2017 Vol.14 No.3, pp.301 - 326

Received: 02 Oct 2015
Accepted: 13 Dec 2015

Published online: 06 Oct 2017 *

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