R&D Mgmt Special Issue:

We invite submissions to a special issue of R&D Management entitled “Open Innovation in Action: Strategies, Processes, Tools and the Evolving Practice of R&D Management.”

This Special Issue concentrates on the practical implementation and management of OI within R&D functions and processes. We seek contributions that move beyond a high-level organizational- or industry-level focus to examine the "how-to" of making OI work in R&D and innovation functions. 

The Special Issue explores how open innovation is transforming R&D across three core themes: the evolution of organizational processes, the shifting capabilities and roles of people, and the opportunities and challenges of measuring performance. We welcome contributions that offer new insights into these broad areas, while at the same time offering practical implications for managerial implementation of OI.

Papers intended for the special issue should be submitted to the April 2026 festschrift conference, according to the policies listed there. Papers accepted for the conference will receive developmental feedback from the attendees and the special issue editors prior to journal submission.

The proposed schedule is as follows:

• February 1, 2026: Deadline for electronic submission of papers to the conference

• March 1, 2026: Notification of authors regarding acceptance to the conference

• April 20-21, 2026: Special Issue Conference held at Luiss Business School

• August 1, 2026: Deadline for emailing revised papers to guest editors

• Fall 2027: Publication of special issue of R&D Management

For questions regarding the special issue, please feel free to contact the corresponding guest editor† or any of the other guest editors:

• Alberto Di Minin†, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna,  rdm@chesbrough2026.com

• Federico Frattini, Politecnico di Milano

• Krithika Randhawa, University of Sydney

• Agnieszka Radziwon, University of Southern Denmark

See below for the Call for Papers (revised May 26) which has full details.

Last updated March 2, 2026