Open innovation in the energy sector

The main focus of the research program discussed in this article is to develop a technological innovation method by combining internal and external sources of technology. Open innovation generates new technology by combining technology developed internally by internal research and development within an organization, and technology developed externally by sources outside the organization. This research program studied the use of open innovation to generate and apply technologies to solve the kind of major problems that an organization cannot resolve on its own. A case study was conducted on the Canadian agencies promoting collaborative R&D efforts in the energy sector. The case study identified the energy sector´s technology-sharing and collaboration using open innovation. A study of The Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority (AOSTRA) Underground Test Facility (UTF) Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) Project concluded that the open innovation concept adopted by AOSTRA had played a major role in the development of UTF SAGD Technology. The research program also studied the issues of why an organization becomes interested in open innovation and whether open innovation demands any changes in an organization´s intellectual property management policies.