Open Innovation in the Food and Drink Industry

Abstract The subject of this paper is Open Innovation (OI) in the food and drink industry (FDI). Both academics and managers are pushing for improved knowledge in the practice of OI. To this end they have invited researchers to include traditional, low-tech industries in their analyses, since these have been poorly investigated (Gassmann, Enkel, and Chesbrough. 2010. “The Future of Open Innovation.” R&D Management 40(3):213–21). In accepting this invitation, we shall be focusing our attention on the FDI, which is going through a transition phase. Although traditionally characterized by a low propensity towards OI, FDI has recently started to open up its innovation processes on account of developments in the competitive context. Hence, a survey involving 284 companies from three countries (UK, Italy and Spain) was carried out. Results show that FDI can be indicated as a sector under increasing pressure to open up. This is an important result that will add to the literature on this topical debate, more especially as the role exerted by the industry in OI choices still remains ambiguous.

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