@article {1337,
	title = {The Role of Academics, Users, and Customers in Industrial Product Development},
	journal = {Technology Innovation Management Review},
	volume = {10},
	year = {2020},
	month = {03/2020},
	pages = {60-69},
	publisher = {Talent First Network},
	chapter = {60},
	address = {Ottawa},
	abstract = {Industrial research and development (R\&D) is often adopted as a leading strategy for innovation in high-technology firms. It has been recognized that collaboration with external actors has become increasingly crucial for R\&D practices in a world where product and service innovation are increasingly challenging for companies involved in knowledge-intensive technology areas. Thus, high-technology firms are increasingly engaging in collaborative relationships with external stakeholders to transfer valuable new knowledge for industrial purposes, or to create new knowledge through a joint learning process. These external stakeholders may include research institutes such as universities, customer firms, or end users of the firm{\textquoteright}s products or services. Academic involvement in industrial innovation projects has traditionally focussed on the early stages of a product{\textquoteright}s development process, when new ideas and innovations are being developed. On the other hand, the interaction between a firm and its customers takes place during the final stages of the R\&D process, when innovations are brought to market. In this paper, we explore how users and customers can be involved in university-industry collaboration projects from the beginning of the product development process. Based on a case study comprising five long-term university-industry collaborations in Finland, this paper presents collaborative practices through which academic actors, users, and industrial customers may actively take part in the industrial innovation processes.},
	keywords = {commercialization, customer involvement, stakeholder involvement, University-Industry Collaboration, user involvement},
	issn = {1927-0321},
	doi = {http://doi.org/10.22215/timreview/1337},
	url = {timreview.ca/article/1337},
	author = {Leena Kunttu and Yrj{\"o} Neuvo}
}
