Knowledge sharing and innovation: The contribution of innovation intermediaries

Abstract

Innovation intermediaries are a heterogeneous phenomenon with a relevant role in innovation processes as they are considered facilitators of the match of supply and demand in uncertain contexts. Their tasks are focused on: promoting new solutions that derive by combinations of knowledge; supporting technology development activities and trying to reduce the gap between the business and research communities. In recent years, several studies have analyzed the most important functions of intermediaries, their role in innovation process, but only few studies have focused on the rationale of innovation intermediation. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how innovation intermediaries can contribute to knowledge sharing. The intermediation processes will be compared to explain how innovation intermediaries can contribute to the creation of knowledge and the development of innovation. The paper will consist of three steps. First, a literature review will be carried out to define the intermediaries' main functions; subsequently, the method for analysing this phenomenon will be described; the third step will discuss findings.