Open Digital Innovation: A Contest Driven Approach Second Edition 2026 Edition

Open Digital Innovation shows how organizations can use contests to drive the development of new digital solutions — from digital services and platforms to mobile apps. By inviting external developers, entrepreneurs, and users to compete and collaborate, organizations can generate solutions that go beyond their internal capabilities and accelerate digital innovation.

Taking a hands-on, contest-driven approach, the book explains how to design, manage, and benefit from innovation contests. It introduces the core principles of open innovation and translates them into practical tools for running successful initiatives, from motivating participants and overcoming innovation barriers to transforming promising ideas into real digital services. Written for graduate and undergraduate courses in digital innovation and entrepreneurship, the book is equally valuable for managers and policymakers seeking to use contests as a strategic instrument for digital development.

This second edition strengthens the book’s scientific foundation while expanding its practical relevance. It explores how generative artificial intelligence is reshaping open digital innovation, how contest-based approaches can support broader digital transformation, and how emerging European data and AI regulations are redefining the conditions for innovation. The book is structured as a clear three-part roadmap — Innovation Foundations, Contest Approach, and Implications — guiding readers from foundational principles to practical application and future challenges.

Anders Hjalmarsson Jordanius is the Head of Research at RISE Mobility and Systems and Professor, bitr at University of Borås, Sweden. His research includes case study, survey and design science research on innovation of digital technology, mainly within the transportation and automotive industry, based on action design oriented and collaborative approaches. He has written 50 conference and journal papers, and his research has received over $5 million in grants from national and European research agencies.

Gustaf Juell-Skielse is Full Professor of Information Systems at the Department of Information Technology at University of Borås, Sweden, where he is also the Director for the Center for AI Transformation. Dr. Juell-Skielse’s research focuses on digital innovation, service automation, and enterprise information systems. He has worked with private companies as well as public sector organizations and has published more than 60 peer-reviewed academic articles, two textbooks, one edited book, and popular articles presenting his research. He has received over $9 million in grants from national and European funding agencies.

Paul Johannesson is Professor of Information Systems at Stockholm University, Sweden. His research focuses on federated information systems, coordinated and integrated health care, the use of ontologies in information systems, design science, and innovation systems. He has published more than 300 papers in international journals and conferences and has been a member of several EU projects on knowledge-based systems and requirements engineering. Dr. Johannesson is the co-author of textbooks on conceptual modelling and design science.