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This paper examines the role of several learning mechanisms for innovation performance, particularly their relevance for different types of innovation. Although the innovation drivers have been extensively discussed in the literature, more evidence is needed to verify that specific innovation outputs rely on specific knowledge sources. Based on the European Innobarometer Survey 2009, the empirical analysis reveals different profiles among innovating firms. Non-technological innovators, in particular firms highly intensive in organizational innovation, show a high propensity to perform knowledge sharing practices, to introduce knowledge management systems and to apply alternative mechanisms to promote creative ideas. The findings also prove a strong connection between product and process innovation, R&D activities and cooperation with scientific partners. The analysis concludes that firms with highest probabilities of engagement in learning mechanisms show the highest innovative performance. Moreover, the most innovative firms are characterized by the combination of different learning initiatives.

This article provides an extensive literature review on the changing role of users in innovation, with a particular focus on the healthcare sector. Users have been specifically analyzed by many scholars worldwide due to their significant role as a source of innovation beyond the traditional assumption which considers customers as mere passive adopters of products and services. The increasing, but still scarce, number of studies on this topic has demonstrated the benefits of patient involvement and how a close and continuous relationship between patients and practitioners can lead to permanent cycles of improvements and innovation in healthcare outcomes. In addition to a user-centered approach, innovative patients are actively developing new solutions for their own treatments, likewise for other patients with similar diseases.