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Open Innovation is gradually expanding into the business ecosystem as a new paradigm that can create greater value by integrating external inputs into innovation processes.

Nowdays is clear that companies that intend evolve and implement increasing innovative solutions must develop shared paths with actors working in knowledge-intensive organizations that orbit around the organization. In these years are developing differente way through which enterpirses could catalyze resources, innovative spirit and creative excellences which allow to marketize low-risk and low-cost innovations, maximizing the use of resources for all actors involved in the process.

Companies can approach to open innovation in different ways, depending on the organization's need and degree of exposure. Some processes to meet open innovation' challenges are:

#1 SCOUTING: Is a widely practice useb by companies that are in the initial stages of their opening to external environment. Scouting requires low investements, allowing an organization to map new opportunities in terms of strategic partnership with professionals, other businesses, universities and research centers. Is a listening activity of what happens arounds the business.

#2 CALL FOR IDEAS: calls for ideas have become frequent in recent years as a result of the development of platforms dedicated to business and creative interaction. A call for ideas is an open call launched by an organization to gather innovative inputs from a widely platea of person. Calls can show various nature and cover one or more aspects of the business model. The main puropose is the selection of one or more innovative processes to develop in a close collaboration with the creators.

#3 CROWDSOURCING: Crowdsourcing is the practice of outsourcing tasks to a broad, loosely defined external group of people. The idea is generally to introduce new or more developed skill sets or a larger work force to achieve some specific goal. Enterprises can entrust all the process of creation and developement of a new product - from its design to its implementation - to a set of specialized individuals (the crowd).

#4 CROWDFUNDING: Crowdfunding is an open call to a crowd, not necessarily expert, to get the financial resources needed to develop an entrepreneurial goal by providing supporters with different types of rewards such as products / services or social capital. Unlike crowdsourcing, in this alternative method, the requested support is financial, but also in this model the crowd can provide recommendation or ideas to maximize the commercial capabilities of the innovative proposal.

#5 START UP ADOPTION: Start-up are basins of disruptive- innovation, but often too green. Matching new ideas with the expertise and experiences of an solid productive organization represents a great solution to don't waste favour occasion of innovate. The creation of financial, productive or commercial partenership with start up operating in similar or complementary sectors, can generate extraordinary results for both players. Start-ups will acquire methodologies, capital and knowledge that can support the healthy growth of their business, businesses will experience an increase in their production capacity or an expantion of the range of services offered.