This document discusses drivers of innovation, including competition, collaboration, and regulation. While competition incentivizes innovation, collaboration catalyzes innovation by facilitating the exchange of ideas between diverse groups. There can be trade-offs between the different drivers, but seeking productive synergies between competition, collaboration, and regulation can encourage innovative solutions. The document provides an example of meta-governed coopetition in European research grants, which involves competition for funds but requires collaboration between research institutions.

1. DRIVERS OF INNOVATION:
TRADE-OFFS AND SYNERGIES
Eva Sørensen
Professor in Public Administration and Democracy
Roskilde University

2. WHY WE NEED
INNOVATION
 Although innovations have indeed also
caused harm, they have throughout
history played a key role in solving
challenging societal problems and
promoting welfare and economic growth
 This is particularly true in turbulent times
where disruptive events
 render existing perceptions, practices and
products insufficient or maybe even irrelevant
(push factor)
 generate new opportunities to be exploited
(pull factor)

3. WHAT IS INNOVATION?
 The development and realization, and
frequently also the spread, of new creative
ideas that challenge conventional wisdom and
disrupt established practices (Torfing, 2016)
 Innovation takes place in all corners of society –
in business, in politics and in social life
 There are innovations in organizational forms,
processes, and tools as well as in commodities

4. WHAT DRIVES INNOVATION?
 In folk theory competition is often viewed as the main
driver of innovation
 In research, it is regarded as important but not sufficient -
and even detrimental if lone-standing (Teece, 1992)
 There are at least three important drivers
 Competition that incentivizes public and private actors to
invest time and energy in the pursuit of innovation
(innovate or perish)
 Regulation that encourages, guides and supports attempts
to develop innovative solutions to pressing economic,
political and social problems and produce value for
customers and citizens
 Collaboration that catalyzes innovation by facilitating the
constructive management of difference

5. ON COLLABORATIVE
INNOVATION
 When a diverse group of actors with different
beliefs, experiences, aspirations, skills and resources
collaborate it stimulates
 the creative destruction of existing perceptions
 mutual learning through the exchange of ideas
 the courage and adventurous state of mind needed
to develop and realize new innovative ideas
 the creation of common ownership over joint
solutions
 the commitment to engage in the diffusion of new
successful innovations

6. TRADE-OFFS BETWEEN DRIVERS
Competition
Collaboration
Regulation

7. A quest for productive synergies
Competition
Collaboration
Regulation

8. AN ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE
 Meta-governed coopetition of innovative
research
 There is intense competition for EU research
grants between European universities and
research institutions
 Political and administrative decision makers
define the topics to be addressed in the
research
 A key requirement is that the projects are
carried out in close collaboration between
multiple research units and involve relevant
stakeholders