Open innovation for SMEs in developing countries: an intermediated communication network model for collaboration beyond obstacles

Although there is increasing interest in exploring open innovation in developing countries, the conceptual and potential applications of using open innovation in the small to medium enterprise sector are rarely explored. Since SMEs often have a dominant impact on national economies, their innovative potential should not be neglected. While SMEs in developed countries have learned how to innovate, SMEs in developing countries face a range of obstacles that hinder them from innovating as much as they could. This paper suggests that in these cases a government agency, using innovation hubs, could help SMEs to connect, communicate and collaborate with independent inventors and other parties to jumpstart innovation practices. A joint innovation model is presented to address known issues and a number of cases from developing countries are summarized to test the model. Reprinted with permission of the journal Innovation: Management, Policy & Practice (ISSN 1447-9338) - www.e-contentmanagement.com