2 research outputs found
Impact Assessment ans Evaluation Tools
This handbook provides tools for evaluation / impact
assessment of any project/initiative involving interactive
innovation
Interactive Innovation: Network analysis tool for practitioners
The network tool is used to:
• Identify crucial actors that shape the network and/or
boost the innovation
• Identify actors that negatively affect the actors and/
or undermine the innovation
• Monitor the way the network develop and adapt the
strategy/activities accordingly
The idea is to evaluate interactive innovation projects
in terms of the role of actors’ interactivity in relation
to decision-making on the innovation process (through
information or knowledge exchange, and joint or
cooperative research). This can be for example about the
role of an actor that entered in the course of the process
and that strengthened the innovation through establishing
suitable connections with other actors, leading to a better
decision-making process on the innovation.
The analysis of the network of actors can be made at one
point of time only, or at 2 or 3 consecutive periods of
time. We recommend the latter as it allows us to see the
evolution of the network of actors over time.
The evaluation can be done in quasi real time, but also in
an ex-post manner. An ex-post assessment means that
the evaluator will reconstruct the network as it was at the
period of interest.
In terms of data source, three options are possible:
• The evaluator makes its own estimation of
relationship level between the actors;
• The evaluator involve key actors to estimate the
levels of relationships; or
• He/she asks the actors involved in the network, what
their levels of relationships with the other actors
are. In this case, bilateral exchanges are generally
recommended. However, if actors feel or would feel
comfortable to discuss this together, for example in
case there is no major power asymmetries or conflicts
between actors, a workshop could also be performed