On 25 & 26 May 2021, the European Innovation Council (EIC) in collaboration with Trelleborg Wheel Systems, a key global supplier of tires and complete wheels, brought together 14 EIC-beneficiaries for one of its flagship events, the EIC Corporate Days. During the event, Anita Krohn Traaseth, EIC Advisory Board Member, Chairwoman of the Executive Board at Startup Norway, bestselling writer and former CEO of Innovation Norway, shared her views on the new era of open innovation in a 10’ speech. Anita is one of Scandinavia's most successful businesswomen and today she combines her writing passion with a successful business career, sharing personal experiences that inspire others to pursue their dreams.
At the moment, the European Union (EU), especially with the new EU Green Deal, is at the forefront of the 6th wave of innovation. In this context, the EIC plays a central role as facilitator of this open innovation movement and as a vehicle for cooperation between start-ups and corporates, as it offers an exclusive curated business acceleration.
In Anita Krohn Traaseth’s opinion, disruption is driven mainly from start-ups and SMEs, leading to market growth and competition. Corporates should have this in mind and come into play with these fresher companies if they want to speed-up their innovation journeys. Collaboration between start-ups and corporates has become the right formula to win future markets.
As Anita Krohn Traaseth mentioned during her speech: “No one can solve the world’s biggest problems alone”. Corporations should maintain their entrepreneurial culture and look for partners among start-ups and SMEs that can help them solve big company problems with the right start-up mindset and skills. However, the process for cooperation in open innovation is not easy. In this way, a structured approach is essential to innovation based on collaboration with external parties. To succeed in this path, three key points should be followed:
- Know how to play by understanding the rules of engagement.
- Lead your way to innovation by ensuring a proper management-leadership balance.
- Work on trust.
If you’d like to know more about the benefits of cooperating in open innovation and to hear advice on how to do it successfully, please have a look at Anita Krohn Traaseth’s presentation during the EIC Corporate Day with Trelleborg.
EIC Corporate Programme
The European Innovation Council (EIC) stimulates collaboration between the innovative companies it funds and large firms, investors, technology giants and industrial leaders to spur new partnerships and help small high-innovative companies scale-up their business.
Since 2017 the EIC Business Acceleration Services has developed its EIC Corporate Partnership Programe. It allows EIC-funded companies to boost their network and meet relevant decision-makers from the largest companies in Europe.
With 50 different matchmaking already under the belt, the European Innovation Council is open for new collaborations with the largest and most innovative corporates in Europe. Check the Corporate Partnership Programme Call.
DISCLAIMER: This information is provided in the interest of knowledge sharing and should not be interpreted as the official view of the European Commission, or any other organisation.