Open Innovation in Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Dear Colleagues,

Research defines coopetition as a mix of cooperation and competition among firms oriented towards producing innovation and generating net value added or economic benefit. The importance of studying the determinants of firms’ innovative behavior, based on those coopetition relationships, has warranted increasing attention by scholars. However, the role played by micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in this process has been neglected, even as research on economic geography, clusters, entrepreneurship and innovation has become preeminent. This represents an opportunity for scholars, policy makers, entrepreneurs and practitioners to discuss the importance of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in determining the innovative behavior of government, industry, higher education institutions (HEIs) and citizens in environments that mix competition and cooperation.

Despite the importance of the institutional and networks approaches explored in the literature, much remains unknown regarding the role played by the referred different types of enterprises in determining innovative and economic performance. Another gap found in the literature is concerning entrepreneurial and open innovative ecosystems. There is an increasing literature suggesting reasons behind ecosystems emergence, but it fails to examine in detail the exact mechanisms behind it, namely, the role played by endogenous production factors (for example, human capital, social or relational capital, organizational capital and knowledge), using an organizational economics approach. This gap may be addressed by linking, for example, coopetition, innovative behaviour, clusters or industrial districts. If agglomeration improves the quality of the match between government, firms, HEIs, and citizens, then clusters will ensure enduring productivity and sustainable competitive advantages.

Dr. João Leitão
Prof. Léo-Paul Dana
Guest Editors

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