Match your innovation ecosystem partner: a tool to discover new opportunities in open innovation settings

This work aims to understand how the process of selecting and managing partnerships is organized within Innovation Ecosystems. Drawing from a combination of literature review and practical examples, a tool is developed to aid decision-makers in evaluating potential partners at both national and international levels. The tool's construction involves identifying principles from existing research and practice, leading to a comprehensive framework for assessing partnership potential across various dimensions including execution capacity, partners maturity, proof of value, co-development, IP management and valorization, and internationalization. Through a rigorous testing process involving different researchers and a diverse range of Innovation Ecosystems in different countries, the effectiveness of the tool is demonstrated, particularly in assessing partner maturity, execution capacity, and internationalization potential. However, challenges are identified, particularly in understanding and evaluating IP management policies within IEs, suggesting new pathways for further research and refinement of the tool. Overall, the theoretical and practical contributions of the research address the gap in managing partners within Innovation Ecosystems and provide concrete insights for future developments in the field.