Innovation Platforms

Tucked deep in the labyrinth of a leading global cultural institution in central Paris, the interview which had taken four months to secure was humming along when I reflected "So the program you are running is an Innovation Platform?" Conversation stopped, skepticism opened the door and came uninvited to our meeting and I was reminded again of the divide which exists between different business sectors on the use of certain terms and language. I love innovation platforms, which if they are new to you, are collaborative development tools for companies, industries or even single initiatives. They can look like a Pharma Corporation awarding bench space to chemists pursuing a cure for disease, an arts award program such as Classical Next in Europe rewarding innovation in the field, or crowdsourced problem solving sites on the web driven by change making innovators supporting open innovation strategies. After my meeting, I learned that innovation as concept, word and practice is more prevalent in certain member states of the E.U. who tie state funding to project proposals who use innovation as the foundation for their applications. How could open innovation and innovation platforms make a positive impact on your own work? #innovationstrategy