Defence industries and open innovation: ways to increase military capabilities of the Portuguese ground forces

Abstract

The European Defence Industry is undergoing profound changes. Industrial activity is now operating on a quintuple helix innovation model with the deep involvement of universities and governments in innovation. In addition, military innovations are being transferred to civil society, with increasing attention paid to the environment. In the first stage, we report on the state-of-the-art of existing research using PRISMA protocol. The PRISMA technique is widely accepted by the academic community for its ability to discover concepts, ideas, and debates about the defence industry. In the second stage, we present a case study involving the Portuguese Defence Industry, for which multiple data collection sources were used to ensure triangulation and corroboration. The results show that, in the light of the quintuple helix innovation model, it was possible to bring applications from theoretical discussion to real life. Moreover, within the scope of the triple helix, it was possible to develop, produce and test military products, allowing to improve the military capacity of ground forces. In the future, ecological concerns will likely increase, so we suggest a greater focus on this area of research.

Quintuple Helix Innovation Model for the European Union Defense Industry—An Empirical Research

“…These two preliminary insights were red flags for identifying two helices that are expected to be relevant: the technological and the environmental. However, some authors [20,32] present preliminary studies and suggest further research to obtain more solid evidence, which is what we intend to do with this article.…”

“…Therefore, there is greater focus on technological growth at the tactical level of warfare. Second, it was possible to ascertain a growing concern with ecological sustainability in military operations [20,36]. These two preliminary insights were red flags for identifying two helices that are expected to be relevant: the technological and the environmental.…”

“…The article by Reis et al [20] suggests that industrial activity is operating in a quintuple helix, with the deep involvement of universities and governments in innovation. Additionally, military innovations are being transferred to civil society, with increasing attention to the environment.…”

“…Additionally, military innovations are being transferred to civil society, with increasing attention to the environment. Several notable authors [37,38] have focused on innovative military materials, which in some cases have been tested in operational environments (i.e., Besmayah, Iraq) [20]. Such materials included textile technologies that currently equip the Portuguese Army and have been instrumental to military missions abroad.…”

“…In the Dutch context, Sezal and Giumelli [3] found that the triple helix model is suitable for the defense and security industry, feeding the needs of both the military defense establishment and the national economy. However, researchers such as Fernández Lorenzo et al [19] and Reis et al [20] highlighted that the development of the defense industry in an unknown n-helix model is a possibility. As far as we know, the literature has evolved from a triple helix, to quadruple, quintuple, .…”