Ecosystem Innovation

A biological ecosystem is composed of all of the organisms found in a particular environment, and the complex network of relationships found between these different entities.

Over the past 15 years, the concept of ‘innovation ecosystem’ has become a popular way to describe how different organisations collaborate together to create successful innovations. In common with the biological concept of ecosystem, this approach emphasises the importance of relationships and the exchange of mutually beneficial value. Organisations who are trying to work within an innovation ecosystem need to understand the impact that their behaviours have on others in the network, and on the ecosystem as a whole.

An innovation ecosystem of interconnected organizations will often be organised around a single focus (a technology, a sector, a company, or a platform), and the different entities within the  ecosystem will play different roles (i.e. niches), and have different types of interaction with other entities and the wider environment. Research intensive universities can play a unique role within innovation ecosystems, and as such, they can be very valuable entities for company innovators to engage with. 

One way to maximise value from an innovation ecosystem is to simplify how participants interact. The goal is to create an ecosystem which is dynamic enough for entities to be agile and responsive, and stable enough for trust based partnerships and collaborations to flourish. Long-term company-academic partnerships can act as valuable structures, around which other entities can find valuable niches. 

Capturing value from work in an innovation ecosystem is dependent on the quality of the organisations in the network, your own position in the network, and the type of control position you have over particular assets e.g. (patents, trade secrets, computer programs, databases, assay protocols).

Chapters 10 & 11 of the playbook.