At ZHdK, the term “open innovation” is understood as an extension of innovation processes beyond and across institutional boundaries with the involvement of both external partners and a wide range of different disciplines and practices. In this regard, a distinction is drawn between the “inside-out” and the “outside-in” perspectives. The inside-out perspective refers to the externalization or outsourcing of knowledge through creative products and services as well as to the development, formation or foundation of spin-offs, patents, and licences. The opposite of this is the outside-in perspective, in which new knowledge is created by external partners through cooperation agreements, collaborative development formats and public dialogue. Open innovation is particularly important for ZHdK because it involves collaborative methods, interactive processes, and the inclusion of target groups.
Examples include publications, conferences, interdisciplinary labs, research and development cooperation agreements with external partners, collaborative formats for knowledge generation and transfer, and spin-offs.