Pre-commercialisation activities in external exploitation of technology

While external knowledge acquisition is well studied and understood, the external exploitation side of open innovation remains challenging. First we present the contemporary process models for external exploitation, describing the different steps along with relevant challenges and actions. Then, we identify major overall challenges in external knowledge exploitation and investigate limitations to applying open innovation approaches. Finally we find recurring themes in literature implying that pre-commercialisation phase activities may provide the critical support for successful management of external exploitation of non-core technologies. We conclude with implications for innovation and learning as well as the identification of promising further research avenues.