Rethinking the role of intermediaries as an architect of collective exploration and creation of knowledge in open innovation

This paper questions the applicability of traditional notions of intermediary activities, which are usually categorized as either brokering or networking, in cases of high uncertainty regarding technologies, markets or which actors to involve. In the case of collaborative open innovation, especially in circumstances when no single organization is able to take on the challenge alone, the activities traditionally associated with intermediation do not suffice to describe what an intermediary can do to support innovation. This paper presents two cases of intermediaries working with the early phases of traffic safety innovations, and how they have managed to develop their activities beyond solely brokering and networking, but also to take an active role in the process of joint exploration and creation of knowledge. We use a qualitative approach to analyze the two cases in order to provide examples of how rethinking intermediation activities can support open innovation in a collaborative setting. The findings suggest that intermediaries taking on a more active role, which could be described as an architect which designs prerequisites and offers leadership in the process of joint exploration and creation of knowledge

Le mythe de l’autosuffisance en riz en Guinée. Le paradoxe des politiques face aux stratégies locales

L’autosuffisance en riz est un mythe persistant en République de Guinée. Depuis l’époque coloniale, cet objectif a été continuellement repris par les différentes Républiques qui se sont succédées, au point d’être encore encouragé de nos jours par des bailleurs qui interviennent dans le développement agricole. Cependant, le contexte mondialisé, l’importation de riz d’Asie, l’organisation sociale locale, les itinéraires techniques et les stratégies économiques des ménages rendent peu justifiable cette volonté. Cet article propose de mettre dans une perspective diachronique ces politiques et de les confronter aux réalités locales pour questionner leur pertinence, en se basant sur un ensemble de travaux réalisés en Guinée Maritime entre 2003 et 2016.Self-sufficiency in rice is a persistent myth in Guinea Conakry. Since colonial times, this objective has been continually taken up by the various successive republics, to the point of being encouraged today by donors involved in agricultural development. However, the globalised context, the import of Asian rice, the local social organisation, the crop management system and the economic strategies of the households warranted this approach. This paper proposes to put these policies in a diachronic perspective and to confront them with local realities to question their relevance, based on a set of studies carried out in Coastal Guinea between 2003 and 2016

Practical Role of Racemization Rates in Deracemization Kinetics and Process Productivities

International audienc

Resisting classical solutions: The creative mind of industrial designers and engineers.

International audienceIndustrial designers and engineers are 2 types of individuals who are typically contrasted with regard to their creative capabilities. Regarding idea-generation processes, studies have shown that individuals use existing elements to generate new ideas, which constrains their creative thinking and leads them to only focus on a narrow scope of solutions. This article explores how industrial designers and engineers behave when generating creative ideas and resisting fixation (i.e., their propensity to focus on a limited set of ideas). We used a creative task in which participants were asked to design a solution that would prevent a hen’s egg from breaking after being dropped from a height of 10 m. Our results show that engineers and industrial designers differ in their creative behaviors when they are asked to generate ideas in a creative task without any constraints. Industrial designers provide more answers and are less fixated than engineers. However, for both engineers and industrial designers, the introduction of an uncreative example reinforced the fixation effect and constrained participants’ fluency. Specifically, industrial designers who were exposed to an uncreative example behaved similarly to engineers who were not exposed to this type of example

Multiple forms of applications and impacts of a design theory -ten years of industrial applications of C-K theory

International audienceC-K theory has been developed by Armand Hatchuel and Benoit Weil and then by other researchers since 1990s. In this paper we show that its very abstract nature and its high degree of universality actually supported a large variety of industrial applications. We distinguish three types of applications: 1) C-K theory provides a new language, that supports new analysis and descriptive capacity and new teachable individual models of thoughts; 2) C-K theory provides a very general framework to better characterize the validity domain and the performance conditions of existing methods, leading to potential improvement of these methods ; 3) C-K theory is the conceptual model at the root of new design methods that are today largely used in the industry

Divergent evolutionary processes associated with colonization of offshore islands

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Quality of life in patients with locked-in syndrome: Evolution over a 6-year period

International audienceBackground: Improved knowledge of the quality of life (QoL) of locked-in syndrome (LIS) patients have implications for managing their care, and assists clinicians in choosing the most appropriate interventions. We performed a survey of a population of LIS patients to describe the course of the QoL of LIS patients over a 6-year period and to determine the potential predictive factors of QoL changes over time. Method: This is a study performed over a 6-year period in patients with a LIS diagnosis. Questionnaires were sent in 2007 and 2013. The following data were recorded: i) sociodemographic data; ii) clinical data related to LIS, physical/handicap status, psychological status; iii) self-reported QoL: Anamnestic Comparative Self-Assessment (ACSA); iv) Integration in life: French Reintegration to Normal Living Index (RNLI). Results: Among the 67 patients included in 2007, 39 (58 %) patients returned their questionnaire in 2013. The LIS etiology was stroke in 51 individuals. The QoL of the patients was relatively satisfactory compared to populations in other severe conditions. Twenty-one (70 %) individuals reported a stable/improved QoL between 2007 and 2013. The physical/handicap statuses in 2007 and 2013 were not related to the QoL 6 years later, with the exception of one communication parameter: the individuals who used yes-no code reported significantly lower QoL levels than those who did not in 2013. Discussion: In opposition to a widespread opinion, LIS persons report a relatively satisfactory QoL level that stays stable over time, suggesting that life with LIS is worth living. Preservation of autonomy and communication may help them to live as normal life as possible

Infographic:Useful steps in the prevention of illnesses during international athletics championships

International audienc

Hox genes define distinct progenitor sub-domains within the second heart field

AbstractMuch of the heart, including the atria, right ventricle and outflow tract (OFT) is derived from a progenitor cell population termed the second heart field (SHF) that contributes progressively to the embryonic heart during cardiac looping. Several studies have revealed anterior-posterior patterning of the SHF, since the anterior region (anterior heart field) contributes to right ventricular and OFT myocardium whereas the posterior region gives rise to the atria. We have previously shown that Retinoic Acid (RA) signal participates to this patterning. We now show that Hoxb1, Hoxa1, and Hoxa3, as downstream RA targets, are expressed in distinct sub-domains within the SHF. Our genetic lineage tracing analysis revealed that Hoxb1, Hoxa1 and Hoxa3-expressing cardiac progenitor cells contribute to both atria and the inferior wall of the OFT, which subsequently gives rise to myocardium at the base of pulmonary trunk. By contrast to Hoxb1Cre, the contribution of Hoxa1-enhIII-Cre and Hoxa3Cre-labeled cells is restricted to the distal regions of the OFT suggesting that proximo-distal patterning of the OFT is related to SHF sub-domains characterized by combinatorial Hox genes expression. Manipulation of RA signaling pathways showed that RA is required for the correct deployment of Hox-expressing SHF cells. This report provides new insights into the regulatory gene network in SHF cells contributing to the atria and sub-pulmonary myocardium