Open innovation is a model in which companies innovate by collaborating with startups, universities and external partners. Initially more widespread in the software sector due to its speed and flexibility, it is also gaining ground in manufacturing despite greater complexity. When applied to industry, it generates concrete innovation in products, processes and business models.
For a long time, innovation meant relying almost exclusively on internal research, patents and proprietary know-how developed within the company. It was a closed model, where competitiveness was built by protecting internal expertise. Today, however, this approach alone is no longer sufficient: technologies, markets and business models are evolving too quickly for a company to develop everything internally. It is in this context that open innovation has emerged: the ability to innovate by opening up to external knowledge and collaboration.
The concept, popularised by economist Henry Chesbrough, is based on the combined use of internal and external knowledge to accelerate innovation processes and create new value. Companies are no longer closed systems but become part of ecosystems involving startups, universities, suppliers, customers, research centres and industrial partners. Innovation increasingly emerges from the combination of different skills and expertise.
A Strategic Lever
Today, open innovation has become a strategic lever, driven mainly by economic and technological factors. Developing new solutions internally requires time, investment and increasingly difficult-to-find expertise. On the other hand, startups and specialised laboratories can provide mature technologies in areas such as artificial intelligence, sensors, advanced materials, industrial software, sustainability and robotics.
According to the Open Innovation Report 2025 by Sopra Steria, 80% of large companies now consider open innovation important or mission-critical, up from 67% in 2023. Furthermore, 76% expect to collaborate with startups over the next 24 months. A particularly significant aspect concerns governance: companies with a dedicated open innovation structure report success rates of 73%, compared with 49% among those without one.
How Open Innovation Works: The Most Common Models
There are several ways in which open innovation can be implemented. The most common is collaboration with startups and scaleups, often through innovation calls, acceleration programmes or pilot projects.
This approach is complemented by partnerships with universities and research centres, which are essential in more advanced sectors, as well as by the involvement of suppliers, who often act as true technology partners within industrial value chains.
The role of customers is also growing, as they become increasingly involved in product development. At the same time, tools such as corporate venture capital and venture building allow companies to directly invest in new ventures or create them together with external partners.
From Software to the More Complex Side of Manufacturing
Open innovation initially spread in the software sector, where experimentation costs and development times are lower and the integration of new solutions is faster.
In manufacturing, however, the process is more complex because it involves physical constraints, production facilities, certifications and more significant investments. Yet this is precisely why, when open innovation enters the factory, it can generate even more tangible results.
Concrete examples include artificial vision systems developed with startups for quality control, integrated sensors for predictive maintenance, autonomous mobile robots introduced into logistics, and new materials designed together with universities and research centres to reduce energy consumption and emissions.
In this context, trade fairs are taking on an increasingly strategic role. They are no longer just exhibition spaces, but true open innovation platforms, where companies, startups, research centres and suppliers meet, test technologies and build partnerships.
The concentration of specialised expertise and key players across the value chain makes these events natural accelerators of collaboration, capable of reducing scouting times and activating concrete projects.
In an increasingly open ecosystem, trade fairs are becoming physical innovation hubs, where connections are transformed into industrial opportunities.
