WOIC Academic Awards

Celebrating outstanding scholarship in Open Innovation

Each year, the World Open Innovation Conference recognizes exceptional academic contributions through two paper awards: the Henry Chesbrough Best Student Paper Award and the Kaya Rangus Best Emerging Scholar Paper Award.

Henry Chesbrough
Best Student Paper Award​

For outstanding student-led scholarship

Kaya Rangus
Best Emerging Scholar Paper Award

For outstanding emerging scholar contribution

Selection Process:

Papers submitted to the World Open Innovation Conference are reviewed through an anonymous and independent evaluation process. Award candidates are assessed based on reviewer scores, scholarly quality, originality, methodological rigor, and contribution to the field of Open Innovation.

Final award decisions are made by the WOIC Academic Awards Committee, which reviews the highest-ranked eligible papers and determines the winner, runner-up, and finalists for each award.

Henry Chesbrough Best Student Paper Award

Named after Professor Henry Chesbrough, widely recognized as the “father of Open Innovation,” the Henry Chesbrough Best Student Paper Award recognizes exceptional research by PhD and graduate students in the field of Open Innovation.

Presented annually at the World Open Innovation Conference, the award celebrates student-led scholarship that offers original, rigorous, and meaningful contributions to Open Innovation research.

Winner — Best Student Paper Award​ 2024

Presented to:

Vaibhav Mishra, Arjan, Markus and Solon Moreira

For the paper:

Neither Buying nor Allying: Employing Open Innovation Based on the Per-use Rental of R&D Capabilities

Runner-up:
Best Student Paper Award​ 2024

Gianlorenzo Meggio and Agnieszka Radziwon

For the paper:

 
Balancing Public and Private Value Capture: The Case of a U.S. Social Venture

Finalist:​
Best Student Paper Award​ 2024

Malin Petrén and Marcus Holgersson

For the paper:

The Concept of Open Data: A Review, Critique, and Ways Forward.

Kaya Rangus Best Emerging Scholar Paper Award

The Kaja Rangus Best Emerging Scholar Paper Award honors the memory and scholarly contribution of Dr. Kaja Rangus, Assistant Professor in the Academic Unit for Entrepreneurship at the Faculty of Economics, University of Ljubljana.

Dr. Rangus worked on Open Innovation, entrepreneurship, and design thinking. In 2016, she was runner-up for the WOIC Best Emerging Scholar Award for her paper, “The Role of Open Innovation Mindset in Entrepreneur’s Alertness and Firm’s Financial Performance.”

Following her passing in early 2018, the WOIC Organizing Committee named the Best Emerging Scholar Award in her memory. The award recognizes promising emerging scholars whose work contributes to the advancement of Open Innovation scholarship and reflects the collaborative spirit of the WOIC community.

Winner — Best Emerging Scholar Paper Award 2024

Presented to:

Shanshan Zhu, John Hagedoorn and Rongkang Ma

For the paper:

The Socio-institutional Background of a Patent and its Timing for Licensing

Runner-up:
Best Scholar Paper Award 2024

Thomas Schäper, Christopher Jung, Marcel Bogers and Johann Nils Foege

For the paper:

Adaptability through Innovation: The Effect of Firm-Level Open Innovation on Product Portfolio Adjustments

Finalist:
Best Scholar Paper Award 2024

Rongkang Ma, Yu Wang, and Jingrong Chen

For the paper:

The Impact of R&D Collaboration with Universities or Research Institutes on Corporate IPOs: Evidence From China’s STAR Market.

Previous Award Recipients