The role of open innovation platforms in facilitating user-driven innovation in innovation ecosystems

Open innovation platforms (OIPs) have been described as a new generation of co-creation spaces that enable the different actors of the innovation ecosystem to interact with each other and to facilitate user-driven innovation. Here the utility of OIPs was scrutinised with two case study examples: one from South Korea and one from Finland. In the two cases, OIPs provide a problem-solving cooperative model that gives young innovators authority promoting their transformation from users into producers and co-creators of innovative products and services. Moreover, OIPs play a key role in the innovation ecosystem by facilitating collaboration, diversity and social sustainability. The two cases are, however, very different in terms of transferability. While the Korean OIP is motivated to maintain its long-term investments in one region but less inspired to relocate and spread its success model to other regions, the Finnish OIP has expanded internationally to several other countries.