Developing a Technology Intelligence Strategy to Access Knowledge of Innovation Clusters

Abstract

Current times are characterised by a knowledge-based economy and fast technological change. In thisdifficultenvironment,companiescompetetomaintainarelevantpositionthroughinnovation.In response to these challenges, many companies are currently adopting an open approach to innovation, pursuing innovation by combining internal and external resources. Technology intelligence (TI) activities support the implementation of open innovation with the systematic captureanddeliveryofinformationaboutthreatsandopportunitiesarisingfromnewdevelopments inscienceandtechnology.ApopularchoiceforTIistoestablish'listeningposts'inareasofintense innovativeactivities,forexampleinregionalclusterswheretechnicalinformationflowsareknownto be particularly intensive. In fact, literature suggests that in clusters vertical interactions along the value chain and horizontal interactions between competing companies help companies to capture the regional market trends and preferences and take relevant decisions concerning their future technological focus. As companies cannot afford to setup a technology outpost in every single geographic area where innovation and technological development are intense and relevant, they needtodevelopaTIstrategytoexploreremotelythescienceandtechnologythatisbeingdeveloped across long geographic distances. This chapter illustrates through a detailed case study of Kodak EuropeanResearch(KER),howcompaniescanorganiseandimplementTIactivitiestoleveragethe knowledge and existence of regional clusters. It integrates two domains of research on TI and regionalclusters,givinginsightsintohowTIactivitiesarestronglyinfluencedbylocation.Throughthe experienceofKER,thischapterexploresi)theprosandconsofbecomingembeddedwithinacluster to take part in the 'local buzz'; ii) the strategy to access knowledge of other clusters; iii) the communicationstrategytomanagetheTIactivitywithinandoutsideofthecluster.

The Role of Communicators in Innovation Clusters

“…The strategic communication to the outside attracts attention from all over the world and thus positions the clusters in a global competition. This result can be drawn back to theoretical position of gatekeeper studies as discussed by Dang, Mortara, Thomson & Minshall (2011) and Lezaric, Longhi & Thomas (2008), who highlight the importance of creating channels not only inside but also outside the cluster. By representing the cluster to the outside world, communicators attract potential members and financial supporters.…”

InSciTe Adaptive: R&D Decision Support System for Strategic Foresight

“…Especially, to make competitive technology strategy, each organization should perform technology planning through active technology intelligence [1,2]. Technology intelligence refers to activities for supporting an organization's decision-making process by collecting and forwarding information on new technologies [3]. To support future planning, we have developed InSciTe Adaptive, which provides discovering knowledge resources and information analysis services with text mining and Semantic Web technologies.…”