Open Innovation Results in Smart Cities and Smart Villages

The dimensions of generation, dissemination, and absorption apply in the public and social sectors, as well as in the private sector. Smart Cities initiatives have generated a lot of possibilities, but to date have not delivered much social or business value. Much of the fault lies in not in the generation of technologies, but in the lack of dissemination and absorption of these initiatives beyond a narrow circle of specialists. Open Innovation can play a critical role in addressing the needs of rural villagers by enticing profit-seeking companies to engage in business development research in rural markets. These companies, if successful, become agents of dissemination and scaling via markets. Smart Villages is a promising new initiative for addressing the needs of villagers in poor, underdeveloped rural settings. However, the three dimensions of generation, dissemination, and absorption apply here as well.