Innovation Index

The workshop analysis the role of the Internet for different types of innovation not only focusing on the traditional set of product, process, organizational and marketing innovation, but also extending to innovation in the public sector. In addition to the role of the Internet for various types of innovations, it has also implications for new forms of innovation, especially for the new paradigm of open innovation, which involves collaborative efforts of numerous partners often with a heterogeneous background. The Internet reduces geographical distance, but its moderating effect on other forms of ‘distance’ relevant for innovation success, like institutional, organizational, technological, and relational distance is also elaborated. Finally, the implications for innovation at the regional level will be derived. It will conclude with a set of research questions and an integrative approach to measure Internet‐enabled innovation at the regional level.

5 Research Questions

We have identified a number of research questions on this topic. Here are the top 5:

• The major characteristics of the Internet and the various dimensions of innovation: What are the specific relations between the different characteristics of the Internet and the various dimensions of innovation?
• The general question of causality: What influence does the timing of ICT adoption have on successful innovation?
• The role of the Internet for Open Innovation: What influence does the Internet have on the selection of cooperation partners and their signaling activities in the Internet?
• The Internet and the role of distance in collaboration in innovation: Which specific functionalities of the Internet do reduce the various forms of distance?
• The Internet and the involvement of user and consumers in the innovation process: What role does the geographic distance play for the Internet-based mechanisms of user, including the public sector, and consumer involvement in innovation processes?