DOES OPEN INNOVATION ENABLE OR HINDER CROSSING THE VALLEY OF DEATH?

The Valley of Death (VoD) highlights the challenging crossing from research and development to technology commercialisation. While some studies argue that open innovation (OI) might be beneficial in bridging the VoD, there is lack of consensus on whether and when OI is an enabler or hinder for the VoD. By reviewing literature on the intersection of these topics, this study identifies contexts when OI functions as enabler, e.g., by employing collaborative platforms or inter-industry collaborations, and also situations when OI may pose challenges in the VoD, e.g., highlighting opportunistic behaviour or conflicting perspectives of different partners. The study has theoretical and practical implications and identifies a number of avenues for future research.