Dissertation

Matchmaking for open innovation: perspectives on multi-sided markets

Promotores: Prof.dr. B.R. Katzy, Prof.dr. K. Sailer (Munich University)

Author: T.O. Holzmann
Date: 15 December 2014
Links: Thesis in Leiden Repository

Open innovation has gained increased managerial and academic attention since 2003 and follows theoretical approaches of innovation networks. My dissertation reports an explorative action research study on participatory cases about how open innovation partnerships emerge in practice. I was engaged in industrial and academic projects where new ideas, external technologies and new start-up ventures were searched and matched for open innovation projects. Therefore, the formation of new network ties for joint business opportunities, matchmaking, is in the focus of the research. The problem of matchmaking arises from the network and market structure. In the thesis, it is shown that matchmaking for open innovation requires a multi-sided market perspective. Innovation intermediaries act as matchmaker and coordinate the matching process between multiple market agents. The contribution is a shift from matchmaking as pure transaction-based market mechanisms towards interactive mechanisms over time, but with economic long-term impact for all market agents.