Even though interest in open innovation (OI) both as a research field and as an industrial practice for creating competitively advantageous innovation through collaboration has grown exponentially over the last decades, the issue of how to transform OI strategy into a sustainable competitive advantage is still an open research question. Selecting partners capable of operationally and strategically contributing to the OI project goals is a strategic decision for companies striving to effectively implement the OI concept. The study is aimed at defining a structured and methodology-supported decision-making process for OI partner selection based on a novel hybrid Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) model which is enhanced by interval type-2 fuzzy sets (IT2F) to deal with the inherent uncertainty. The model combines IT2F Delphi (IT2FD), IT2F Analytical Hierarchy Process (IT2F AHP), and IT2F Preference Ranking Organization METHod for Enrichment of Evaluations (IT2F PROMETHEE). The study provides a comprehensive framework of the OI partner performance indicators; additionally, it provides a contingent approach to identifying evaluation criteria depending on the nature of the company’s innovation processes, contextual conditions, and innovation strategy. The case study is used to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed process. The study’s results highlight the significance of specific factors related to the partners’ technological competencies.

Due to its ability to support the achievement of operational and strategic business excellence despite complex business conditions, growing globalization, demanding customers, and shorter product lifecycles, the Product Lifecycle Management concept (PLM concept) is becoming the most significant industry initiative today, while PLM education is becoming an essential strategy in the education of future engineers. The paper emphasized the necessity for the promotion of PLM education by academic communities, discussed PLM education issues, and identified key PLM competencies. It also explores the role of Engineering Management study programs in educating professionals with comprehensive PLM competencies.