Trouble in paradise? Barriers to open innovation in regional clusters in the era of the 4th industrial revolution

The purpose of this paper is to provide an insight into the barriers faced by clusters as open innovation intermediaries. Literature review and an empirical study were performed, involving a nation-wide survey, case studies, and in-depth interviews with cluster actors involved in open innovation activities. This article conceptually links open innovation and clusters in the context of the fourth industrial revolution, empirically identifies barriers hindering open innovation in clusters, and indicates factors that might affect the open innovation processes in networked ecosystems. The findings confirm that the perception of barriers hindering open innovation in clusters differs between clusters already implementing open innovation and those which are still not active in this area. The findings contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the potential roles of clusters as open innovation intermediaries in the context of transitioning economies. With clusters playing a role in open innovation intermediary, public support at cluster level could increase openness to cooperation not only for member companies, but all participants in the regional innovation ecosystem.