Promoting the concept of open innovation
For the technology cluster in the city and region of Ilmenau it could be beneficial to explore the
“open innovation” concept for possible application by the TU Ilmenau and the TGZ. In the open
innovation model, a firm seeks to commercialise not only its own ideas but also the innovations from
other organisations. In this paradigm, the boundary between organisations and the surrounding
environment is more porous, enabling innovation to move easily between various entities. The goal of
activities to promote open innovation is to foster further collaboration of large and small companies
both in the region and beyond. As knowledge and technology become more widespread and
distributed across companies in many parts of the world it forces organisations to open up their
innovation processes. Furthermore, as the cost of technology development rises and product life cycles
shorten it makes closed models of innovation increasingly more difficult to sustain (Chesbrough,
2010).7 The high tech campus in Eindhoven is a good example of how an ecosystem can be developed
that has a mix of small and large companies, innovative start-ups and technology institutes which have
a direct link to science. On the high tech campus, companies work together in open laboratories and
open research institutions. In Ilmenau, the technology centre and business incubator TGZ could foster
further links with the university as the high tech campus has with TU Eindhoven. Although Ilmenau
does not have a global company such as Eindhoven does in Phillips, there are still ways in which
opening up can nurture closer collaboration between government, industry and knowledge institutions.