An innovation platform is a space for learning and change. It is a group of individuals (who often represent organizations) with different backgrounds and interests: farmers, traders, food processors, researchers, government officials etc. The members come together to diagnose problems, identify opportunities and find ways to achieve their goals. They may design and implement activities as a platform, or coordinate activities by individual members. This brief explains what innovation platforms are and how they work, and it describes some of their advantages and limitations.
Innovation platforms can be complex and challenging so effective monitoring is critical to ensure that they function effectively and achieve their intended purposes. A monitoring system is a collection of methods and tools to track and measure innovation activities, processes among partners, and the results of these processes. This brief describes what a monitoring system does, who is involved, how it works, and what to do with the findings. It is available in Chinese, English, Hindi, Thai and Vietnamese.
One of the most important things that innovation platforms do is to build the capacity of their members to innovate. Some key elements of innovation capacity include: self-organization, learning new skills, changing mindsets, valuing others’ roles in innovation, having a holistic view, being able to adapt to changing situations, creating new ideas, recognizing opportunities, being proactive, using indigenous ideas, and looking to the future. This brief uses the analogy of a traditional African cooking pot to explain how innovation capacity is developed within an innovation platform.
Este documento hizo parte de la sesión 2 (Modelos de Vinculación de Productores Pobres Mediante Negocios Inclusivos) del Taller Regional de Intercambio de la Alianza de Aprendizaje, realizado en junio de 2010, y presenta el concepto de Negocios Inclusivos (Qué son, Cuáles son sus beneficios para la empresa y para las comunidades pobres), Cómo implementa el Servicio Holandés de Cooperación al Desarrollo (SNV) este modelo de negocio y cuáles han sido sus principales lecciones aprendidas; así como algunos casos de aplicación y un mapeo regional de intervenciones en negocios inclusivos
El presente texto documenta la experiencia de la Alianza de Aprendizaje en Centroamérica durante el periodo comprendido entre el 2003 y el 2007, y brinda reflexiones entorno a los alcances, el camino recorrido y las lecciones que el proceso ha dejado entre sus participantes luego de cuatro años de trabajo.