Open Innovation

[PKerEng]

Dear Fellow Engineers:

Any thoughts or past experience cases coming from your interaction with so called "Open Innovation" sites, like NineSigma, for instance?

The overall legal setup of such sites looks kind of hazy. Apparently they are fishing for ideas, yet there seems to be no transparency in the submittion, selection, and final usage process of the submitted information. It looks like anyone submitting potentially great idea has no recourse/leverage over how it can be used and by whom. Looks bothersome to me. Any thoughts/observations on the subject?

Slawomir

http://www.pkerengineering.com

 

[patprimmer]

Yes

Never disclose ANYTHING about a product you have invented and might want to patent to anyone who has not signed a NDA.

Regards
Pat
See FAQ731-376 for tips on use of eng-tips by professional engineers &

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm

for site rules

 

[SAITAETGrad]

If you had control, it wouldn't be open innovation.

This is a concept that has lead to amazing things in software (Linux, Adempiere, etc.).

Note that companies can always take something "open" and make something "closed" by adding to it. Of course when you share up stuff you can't claim you own it.

For manufactured items, you can see some interesting consumer goods coming out of it. Quirky.com is an example on how this can work on a basic level.

I was not familiar with NineSigma.com. Thank you for sharing. They put open innovation as follows:

"Closed" Innovation Viewpoint
Nobody can know what we are innovating

"Open" Innovation Viewpoint
Nobody can know the confidential ideas that we are working on

"Closed" Innovation Viewpoint
Spending more on internal R&D will improve our market position and help us grow

"Open" Innovation Viewpoint
"Smart" innovators engage with the global innovation community and reap the highest returns

"Closed" Innovation Viewpoint
First-to-patent = highest profit

"Open" Innovation Viewpoint
First-to-market = highest profit


"Closed" Innovation Viewpoint
We need more R&D staff to close our knowledge gaps

"Open" Innovation Viewpoint
We need our R&D staff focused on our core competencies, allowing outside solution providers to provide the rest

 

[MiketheEngineer]

If you have a "great" idea - the first person you need to call is your lawyer - or find a good one!!

 

[ornerynorsk]

In my opinion, an open innovation site means that you bring the ideas, the dinner, the bottle of wine, the theatre tickets, and the petrolatum, then go home feeling delusioned and used when you find out someone else has come along with the capital and wherewithal to see it through to market. Sorry for that, but you get the idea.

It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.

 

[PKerEng]

Gentlemen,
I appreciate your input but the business is more serious that it may appear to some of us. There seems to be, out there, a number of joints very likely supported by state or federal founds with the objective to envigorate and help to rebuilt innovative spirit of the American business. The buzzword is "innovation". Is it just a smoke-and-mirrors excuse to get public funding or is it a legitimate kind-of-well-meaning effort to move our economy from the dead spot? If these are honest ventures, how should it be handled? Please check with places like ninesigma.com and similar ones before coming to any profound conclusion.

Slawomir

http://www.pkerengineering.com

 

[GregLocock]

In my opinion, based on some experience, these sites are mostly scams, based on harvesting goodwiil and time of professionals, in return for few dollars, or perceptible outcome. Messages like the above just sound like spammy marketeering, not engineering.

There are some collaborative sites that work, I just haven't seen it.





Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

 

[PKerEng]

Thanks Greg,
You are confirming my perception supported by some real-life experience. My objective here is to make the case of the "open innovation" really open. I think that sharing information on the subject may make a good public service.

Slawomir

http://www.pkerengineering.com

 

[ornerynorsk]

Just a further thought to soften my previously "smart" reply. Legitimate organizations, whether to stimulate the economy as a whole or in part, would never presume to forego intellectual property rights. To not patent or otherwise protect innovation is simply a bizarre notion. Look where it got Tesla when his backer found out that he wanted to give away electricity for the benefit of society.

I just don't see humankind ever progressing to the level where nobody cares if their ideas are used to make others rich with only a pittance being tossed their way. Because, after all, 'tis money that makes the world go round.

It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.

 

[patprimmer]

I think it was common practice in the renascence period for scientists and inventors to work under the support of a sponsor or patron and give the benefit of their work to society, so maybe there has been some regression.

Also see

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Hargrave

Regards
Pat
See FAQ731-376 for tips on use of eng-tips by professional engineers &

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm

for site rules