The function of intermediaries in collaborative innovation processes: retrofitting a Danish small island ferry with green technology

Abstract

Intermediaries are actors who perform several functions during innovation processes such as brokering and networking. In this article, the aim is to analyse how intermediaries support collaborative innovation processes taking place in green maritime technology projects. In particular, retrofit projects related to cleaner technologies and small vessels are an understudied subject. The case study of a Danish small island ferry retrofit shows that intermediaries are important to stage the collaboration between actors. They can provide functions to the incipient network as foresight, brokering, increasing network connectivity, and scanning of information. However, intermediaries can also have a proactive role in shaping the emerging innovation pathways. In this case study, intermediaries negotiate each partner's role and define the goals of the project. The results contribute to the broader eco-innovation literature by analysing intermediation in innovation in a process perspective.

Eco-Innovation Drivers in Value-Creating Networks: A Case Study of Ship Retrofitting Services

“…Therein, collaboration with external actors, such as universities, suppliers customers or even competitors, becomes more common in order to overcome these barriers [33]. These collaborative, open-innovation settings receive attention in eco-innovation research [34,35]. A new area of research in this domain is that the open-innovation processes for eco-innovation shall not exclusively be focused on the development phase of the technology, but also account for value creation and capture aspects of the business model to commercialize eco-innovation [36].…”

“…Maritime suppliers from the region of Northern Denmark contribute significantly in terms of maritime service and equipment supply for Danish shipping companies [77][78][79]. In this line of ecological modernization of the Danish fleet, the maritime suppliers in Northern Denmark have initiated collaborative development projects of maritime environmental technology involving different types of actors and with different levels of structuration [12,35]. These networks of maritime suppliers can provide a rich insight into the eco-innovation processes and its drivers.…”

The Dynamic Process of Ambidexterity in Eco-Innovation

“…When facing the environmental pressures in the telecom industry, firms attempt to perform innovations to improve competitiveness [56]. R&D can be performed outside the firm, through collaborative processes of open innovation [16,17], or within the firm, through new creative processes and new products [10]. R&D and investment lead to greater innovation [57].…”

“…The study analyzes 449 firms from the telecommunications (telecom) industry over a five-year period. This industry of high technological change requires intensive knowledge that is the result of cooperation among different actors, and eco-innovation can be a consequence of open innovation processes [16,17]. In an increasingly digitalized economic context, the telecom industries influence society greatly [18], while also including other sectors and thus fostering the reduction of environmental impact [19].…”

Bridging the Gap between Firms and Universities: Firm Links with Research and Technology Organisations in Different Types of Regions

“…Knowledge intermediaries are described as organisations whose functions do not limit themselves to 'translate' the knowledge generated in other organisations in such a way that David Fernández Guerrero the client firm can integrate it but can include technology forecasting, the combination of knowledge from different sources, and matchmaking between different parties (Bessant & Rush, 1995;Giannopoulou et al, 2019;Howells, 2006). Indeed, these organisations have been found to help firms in being better equipped to collaborate with other firms and other types of organisations in innovation networks, thus, overcoming collaboration barriers (Aquilani, Abbate, & Codini, 2017;Hermann, Mosgaard, & Kerndrup, 2016;Nauwelaers, 2011;Parker & Hine, 2014).…”