Conference Agenda

Venture Clienting enables firms to identify and realize innovation opportunities more rapidly through collaboration with start-ups. However, its implementation remains fragmented and prone to failure because organizations lack a coherent strategic architecture. This paper introduces the Venture Clienting Strategy Canvas, a single-view framework developed through Action Design Research. Fourteen essential elements were identified and organized into a layered structure. Applied in two firms, the canvas improved strategy design, articulation, and internal communication.

This paper investigates how advanced manufacturing firms mature technologies within mission-driven ecosystems. Two multi-partner case studies show how the design across six innovation dimensions—purpose, strategy, leadership, governance, innovation process, and budgeting & planning—enable co-maturation of novel technologies. Findings demonstrate that strategic partnerships with a shared mission, dual iterative/linear processes, and aligned governance accelerate mission-driven innovation from idea to scaled implementation.

Perpetual innovative products (PIPs) enable the reuse of components from previous generations to create new products with improved functionality and performance, supporting a circular economy. However, the concept entails uncertainties in design due to degradation and functional integration. This paper examines how testing can reveal and reduce these uncertainties through the analysis of testing activities. A four-step process is proposed that integrates testing in PIP development. The process strengthens decision-making by translating heterogeneous testing into actionable design knowledge.

Academic tools for sustainable product development often fail to achieve widespread use in industry. Based on a case study of a consultancy firm, this study explores factors that enable consultants to adopt and adapt such tools and act as intermediaries that translate and integrate academic findings into practice. Interviews and a survey revealed that a solid conceptual foundation, clear client value, result visualization, adaptability, and integration with existing workflows are most important, and the study proposes nine lessons learned to guide future tool development and collaboration.