Comparing open innovation of innovative food SMEs with SMEs in the seed and high- tech industries - an analysis of 15 SMEs in the Netherlands

Various studies have shown that open innovation (OI) has become a basic requirement for the long-term survival of high-tech companies. However, also in an artisanal sector like the food industry OI has become increasingly important. To discover the extent to which innovative food and seed improvement SMEs can learn from hightech small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in 2011 the authors conducted a comparative study of OI. The overall conclusion was that the degree to which food SMEs are able to collaborate with other SMEs, knowledge institutions and government agencies have become key for success in innovation, also in the food sector. Valuable learning points for food SMEs included, increasing the number of go/ no-go moments; using clear performance indicators during the whole OI process; providing remuneration for innovation performance; and capturing the lessons learned after the OI process. Considering the risk of opportunistic behavior, innovative food SMEs should take the protection of intellectual property (IP) more seriously in the future, as is already the case in the seed improvement sector.