Abstract
The project “key enabling technologies for clean production” (KET4CP), which is supported by the European Commission, has the aim to connect small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) and Technology Centres (TC) for cleaner, greener and more efficient production. Within this context, SMEs and TCs across Europe work together to establish an open-innovation network and to raise awareness in productivity and environmental performance. This article presents how an open European network of TCs opens its innovation process to support SMEs to become cleaner, greener and more efficient. Furthermore, this article shows how the TCs and SMEs become a part of the open-eco-innovation platform in clean production and how successful the open-eco-innovation process of different European countries is. We revealed that a pan-European open innovation process for eco-innovations with TCs for key enabling technologies (KET TCs) and Enterprise Europe Network partners (EEN) is a successful approach for SMEs that want to produce and develop cleaner products. An application example is mentioned, in which TCs from different European countries have contributed to developing a product of a SME for energy harvesting. The SME, together with the TCs, developed a generator that is installed in city-level water supply pipes and so, it is outstanding in its application. This innovative application is also described in this article.
Highlights
There is no clear and commonly agreed definition of open-eco-innovation
We revealed that a pan-European open innovation process for eco-innovations with Technology Centres (TC) for key enabling technologies (KET TCs) and Enterprise Europe Network partners (EEN) is a successful approach for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that want to produce and develop cleaner products
It could be observed that the problems and aversions to open innovations in general, which were mentioned at the beginning of the paper, for example the trust in the handling of the technical problem definition, are reduced by third neutral partners, as in this case the EENs were
Summary
There is no clear and commonly agreed definition of open-eco-innovation. Phills et al (2008) defines that innovation is both a process and a product and it must meet two criteria. The interdisciplinary project “Innovation Effects of Environmental Policy Instruments” introduced the concept of eco-innovation Clean Technol.w20h20ic, h2 FwORasPEdEeRfiRnEeVdIErWelatively generally by Klemmer et al (1999). They defined eco-inn ovation as an action of all relevant actors (enterprises, politics, trade unions, associations, churches, private households) that develop, apply or introduce new ideas, practices, products and processes that contribute to reducing environmental impacts or to ecologically predetermined sustainability objectives. This paper describes how a pan-European open-eco-innovation process can be managed, how successful it is and what the challenges are. A survey of SMEs in Germany, Austria and Switzerland showed
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