Open Innovation in Business Incubators

In the past, companies had an incentive to innovate their products to maintain a leading position in the market. The new technologies and prototypes developed in the research and development (R&D) laboratories were jealously guarded because a company's profits and position in the industrial sector could be endangered if competitors became aware of the new technology and copied it. Universities and governments did not participate in the co-creation of innovation, thus placing the burden and risk of scientific research on individual companies. However, over the years, external factors have emerged and radically changed the situations in which companies operate, thus necessitating a change in the strategy used for maintaining a leading position in the market. In addition to phenomena such as globalization, development in telecommunications, and the success of other disruptive technologies, new players in the innovation sector have also emerged, such as the technology transfer offices of universities, centers dedicated to R&D on behalf of third parties, and business incubators. With this thesis, I want to focus precisely on the latter, delving into their role in economic development, their structure, and how they relate to external actors, with particular attention on open innovation methodologies.