How We Empowered ZEW Mannheim to Analyze Innovation Collaborations Using Web-Based Indicators.
In a nutshell
We collaborated with ZEW Mannheim to investigate how companies partner with public research institutions and how these partnerships influence innovation. By developing innovative AI-based tools, we identified the communication of these collaborations on company websites.
What was the challenge?
ZEW aimed to understand the impact of various aspects of collaboration with research institutions on the innovation capabilities of companies. The focus was on distinguishing between:
1. Concrete collaboration and the associated knowledge transfer, and
2. Communication of the collaboration through the company’s website and the related market impulse.
However, there were no reliable methods to capture the communication of collaborations on corporate websites. A novel approach was needed to effectively collect and analyze this data.
How did we help?
Leveraging our expertise in web data analysis and machine learning, we developed indicators that identify collaborations between companies and research institutions based on their website content. By processing extensive web data, we detected signs of partnerships, research projects, and other collaborative activities. This enabled us to identify companies that highlight such partnerships on their websites.
How did we add value?
Our web-based indicators allowed ZEW Mannheim to empirically analyze the different effects of conducted and communicated collaborations on the innovation performance of companies.
"The results show that companies actively engaging in collaborations achieved higher revenues from market innovations, indicating an increase in radical innovations. On the other hand, companies that communicated their collaborations via their websites recorded higher revenues from firm-specific innovations, suggesting improvements in incremental innovations."
— Dr. Bastian Krieger, Head of the Co-Creation Research Group at ZEW
This nuanced understanding supports policymakers and business leaders in developing strategies to foster effective collaborations between companies and research institutions.
For a comprehensive understanding, you can access the full discussion paper here: https://ftp.zew.de/pub/zew-docs/dp/dp25001.pdf