Sicke care open innovation 2.0

Up until recently, sickcare has not been a fan of open innovation. The Not Invented Here mentally has blocked progress and innovation and policies, procedures and cultures have interfered with collaboration within and between campuses , let alone with other non-academic partners. The result has been Open InNOvation.

Things are changing and the firewalls and tight compartments are crumbling.

Open innovation is a term coined by Henry Chesbrough that describes how ideas pass between different organizations to create value. Here are twelve principles that drive it:

Purpose. Efforts and intellects aligned through commitment rather than compliance deliver an impact greater than the sum of their parts. A great example is former US President John F. Kennedy's vision of putting a man on the Moon. Articulating a shared value4 that can be created is important. A win–win scenario is more sustainable than a win–lose outcome.

Sick care example: Moon shot to cure cancer

Partner. The 'quadruple helix' of government, industry, academia and citizens joining forces aligns goals, amplifies resources, attenuates risk and accelerates progress. A collaboration between Intel, University College London, Imperial College London and Innovate UK's Future Cities Catapult is working in the Intel Collaborative Research Institute to improve people's well-being in cities, for example to enable reduction of air pollution.

Example: Expanding structure and processes of academic technology transfer office to embrace idustry, government labs and patient participation.

Platform. An environment for collaboration is a basic requirement5. Platforms should be integrated and modular, allowing a plug-and-play approach. They must be open to ensure low barriers to use, catalysing the evolution of a community. Challenges in security, standards, trust and privacy need to be addressed. For example, the Open Connectivity Foundation is securing interoperability for the Internet of Thing

Example: Ecosytems using online communications  and collaboration social media platforms

Possibilities. Returns may not come from a product but from the business model that enabled it, a better process or a new user experience. Strategic tools are available, such as industrial designer Larry Keeley's breakdown of innovations into ten types in four categories: finance, process, offerings and delivery

Examples: New care delivery innovations, like telemedicine and retail based clinics

Plan. Adoption and scale should be the focus of innovation efforts, not product creation. Around 20% of value is created when an innovation is established; more than 80% comes when it is widely adopted. Focus on the 'four Us': utility (value to the user); usability; user experience; and ubiquity (designing in network effects).

Example: Digital health pitch competitions linking problem seekers with problem solvers

Pyramid. Enable users to drive innovation. They inspired two-thirds of innovations in semiconductors and printed circuit boards, for example. Lego Ideas encourages children and others to submit product proposals — submitters must get 10,000 supporters for their idea to be reviewed. Successful inventors get 1% of royalties.

Example: Sick care innovation leadership systems

Problem. Most innovations come from a stated need. Ethnographic research with users, customers or the environment can identify problems and support brainstorming of solutions. Create a road map to ensure the shortest path to a solution.

Examples: problem seekers and using big data to understand patient-customer problems

Prototype. Solutions need to be tested and improved through rapid experimentation with users and citizens. Prototyping shows how applicable a solution is, reduces the risks of failures and can reveal pain points. 'Hackathons', where developers come together to rapidly try things, are increasingly common.

Examples: rapid prototyping labs and lean startup business canvass experimentation

Pilot. Projects need to be implemented in the real world on small scales first. The Intel Collaborative Research Institute runs research projects in London's parks, neighbourhoods and schools. Barcelona's Laboratori — which involves the quadruple helix — is pioneering open 'living lab' methods in the city to boost culture, knowledge, creativity and innovation.

Examples: Piloting digital health solutions in a health services organization

Product. Prototypes need to be converted into viable commercial products or services through scaling up and new infrastructure globally. Cloud computing allows even small start-ups to scale with volume, velocity and resilience.

Example: scalerators

Product service systems. Organizations need to move from just delivering products to also delivering related services that improve sustainability as well as profitability. Rolls-Royce sells 'power by the hour' — hours of flight time rather than jet engines — enabled by advanced telemetry. The ultimate goal of open innovation 2.0 is a circular or performance economy, focused on services and reuse rather than consumption and waste.

Examples: service after the service and remote sensing

Process. Innovation is a team sport. Organizations, ecosystems and communities should measure, manage and improve their innovation processes to deliver results that are predictable, probable and profitable. Agile methods supported by automation shorten the time from idea to implementation.

Example: iCorps teams and iTeams

Examples of sick care open innovation 2.0 include expanding accelerators, incubators and scalerators, early prototyping facilties, digital health ecosystems, innovation districts, domain dedicated innovation pavilions , problem based competitions, innovation centers and interdisciplinary, interdependent educational programs and offerings.

The convergence of media, technology, communications,medicine, biopharma, medtech, aerospace and many other medical interface industries has changed how innovators are creating value. Thankfully, after a long hiatus, we seeing the fruits of Sickcare Open Innovation 2.0 and the value it delivers to patients.

Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA is the President and CEO of the Society of Physician Entrepreneurs at www.sopenet.org and author of the Blogbook of Physician Entrepreneurship at www.hcplive.com/contributor/arlen-meyers-md-mba