When nothing is certain, anything is possible: open innovation and lean approach at MVM

• Published in: R & D management 2022-03, Vol.52 (2), p.165-177
• Main Authors: Di Guardo, Maria Chiara, Marku, Elona, Bonivento, Walter Marcello, Castriotta, Manuel, Ferroni, Fernando, Galbiati, Cristiano, Gorini, Giuseppe, Loi, Michela
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: COVID-19; Ventilators
• ISSN: 0033-6807; 1467-9310
• DOI: 10.1111/radm.12453

Using a participatory observation approach, this paper aims at exploring how public and private organizations have collaborated in response to the COVID‐19 pandemic. We examine the case of Mechanical Ventilator Milano (MVM), an international project with over 250 contributors and partners; this project aimed to achieve the challenging goal of designing and realizing a mechanical ventilator for mass production in about 6 weeks. The project received the Emergency Use Authorization granted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The MVM ventilator is a reliable, fail‐safe, and easy‐to‐operate mechanical ventilator that can be produced quickly at a large‐scale, based on the readily available parts. The success of the MVM case is unique as it adopts open innovation practices to generate technology innovation, in addition to a lean perspective. Through the MVM project description, this study offers a framework that explains the interplay between open innovation and lean approach, highlighting the different internal and external forces and types of collaborations, and offering fine‐grained insights into the role of universities as platforms of multidisciplinary knowledge. This framework might serve as a basis for future theoretical and empirical research, providing practitioners with new best practices that are essential when facing a severe crisis like COVID‐19.