Collaborative Business Model (CBM) is an open innovation design, developed by academic sector with the goal to create a collaborative network of diverse stakeholders that would serve as a source of innovation to the specific industry related issue. Therefore, the focus of the model is to maximize potentials and capacities of the innovation ecosystem, by linking diverse stakeholders in the process of idea creation and decision-making. The network serves as a channel to link students and education sector with industry, public sector and civil society. In mutual collaboration, stakeholder network develops a business model, mutually adding value of the each party involved to the model. The core aim of the traditional innovation models relies on the innovation network within a company, which is responsible for creating a structure that promotes innovation, or on the cooperation with another company. This model goes beyond traditional features and focuses on collaboration with external networks as the innovation resource. In this regard, it transforms the traditional structure of bottom-up approach in decision making, towards bottom-up governance, allowing innovative ideas not only be created - but to grow and thrive.  The model uncovers three layers of collaboration, each with the purpose to decrease the gap between groups involved and provide as an open environment that foster high quality problem solving and idea creation. Brought together, stakeholders deliver an innovative business model based on diversity and mutual collaboration of all the users affected with the particular industry sector[1]. The CBM has a wide range application, from startups to public and private companies. Collaborative business model varies in number of participants, ranging from 50 to 500 people involved, and lasts between three to sixteen months in delivering a novel output.

Specific features of the Collaborative Business Model:

• Encourages input from a wide range of participants, using Quadruple Helix networks as a channel for the input
• Develops feasible business models and potential ideas with practical steps for the successful development of projects based on the input of the network of collaborators which also includes citizens in decision making
• Increases mutual understanding among parties involved and solves deadlocks between them during the implementation phase, but also ensures environment for sustainability of results
• Adds value to the final product or service taking into account specificities of all the parties involved.

Collaborative Business Model is applicable when:

• The need for expansion of innovation ecosystem is required or desirable
• Specific local or regional economic and developmental challenges call for collaborative efforts, and are complex in nature
• The dominant trends may not be convenient for any stakeholder included in collaborative network and must be studied from different perspectives
• Many diverse groups are significantly affected by the industrial business models and decision-making

Participants of the Collaborative Business Model are academic staff and students, industry partners as well as local authorities and civil society.

University staff – are managing the process. Facilitator can be a one person or a team that manages the collaborative environment, with the aim to keep an active participative network among involved stakeholders during the CBM lifespan.
The tasks of facilitator include planning, steering the processes, managing the dialogue, chairing the events and meetings, assisting the students and civil society in bridging the gap between them and the industry sector, monitors and evaluates the results of the CBM, oversees the entire process, prints and disseminate the entire process, serve as a contact person for the post-CBM phase. 

Students – university staff lead students through the process of creation of a business model, or idea development, during the regular course of the specific subject. Students are potential founders of startups, and the group of students with the most innovative and prospect business idea are included in the future design of the model developed in close cooperation with the industry and university staff, as well as with citizens as part of the collaborative network. 

Industry representatives – take part in the collaborative business model design as experts and the group who manages and evaluate student design. Industry representatives are involved in the CBM implementation phase considering the basic model and collaborating with participating groups in delivering innovative collaborative business model design with the long-term perspective. They are members of the steering committee that decides on the planning process and the actions taken during the process of implementation.

Realistic estimates of time and costs are especially difficult in the early stages of the CBM. The estimates depends on the expectations of the complexity and longevity of the business model. However, these include provision for assembling the panel and staff, meetings costs, events and materials used, travel and accommodation, communication, reporting and documentation as well as dissemination of the results.

FACILITATOR

Accelerator of the collaborative co-creation process creates the setting, facilitate participation and the process, leads and intervene during all the phases of the Collaborative Business Model, manages conflicts and imbalances between diverse groups, as well as builds the consensus that provides foundation for the integrative decision-making. Facilitator is the main mediator between involved groups, and provides models and techniques for the balanced involvement of stakeholders.

Representing members are one or two of the research or teaching staff employed by the academy institution, experienced in participatory and consensus based processes. Their involvement should be neutral and active during the all phases of the model employment. At specific and identified phases of the CBM, together with chosen industry representatives, facilitator organize a joint steering group that is responsible for the design of the final integrated business model.

PURPOSE

The introduced model is a platform developed by the university staff and provides a tool for linking students, industry and citizens in creating innovative solutions to the real life problems in the field of the specific industry related topic.

TIMELINE AND LOGISTICS

The duration of the CBM depends on the various factors, such as time availability of the industry and academy staff, managing capabilities of staff involved, finances disposable, local environment, availability of the tools to meet the goal, characteristics of the political system if is managed in, and of various non mentioned dimensions. In this regard, the model can take up to sixteen months of execution. The shortest lifespan of the model is accounted for about six months.

As mentioned before, the CBM consists of the three main phases, of which the second one bears the greatest complexity. These are:

The pre-Collaborative Business Model phase concerns the preparation steps in building up the bases of the model and lasts optimally up to three months

The second phase is the implementation phase of the Collaborative Business Model, and its duration can take up to nine months.        

The post-Collaborative Business Model phase – presentation of the CBM to the community and further research, promotional and dissemination activities. The phase lasts up to four months.

TIP

The number of cycles repeated during the second phase implementation depends on the financial factors, but more importantly on the complexity of the subject in focus. Although the first phase of the model lasts considerably lesser amount of time than the second one, the second phase implementation depends on the quality level of the action plan provided in the first phase of the Collaborative Business Model.

As mentioned before, the CBM consists of the three main phases, of which the second one bears the greatest complexity. The pre-CBM phase is the preparation phase of the collaborative model and lasts optimally up to three months. The second phase - the CBM implementation phase – has the longest duration relative to the complexity of managing the collaboration networks taking part in the design of the CBM. At formal events, stakeholder groups meet and co-design the model after thorough preparations that precedes these events. Depending on meeting the needs of all the stakeholders involved, as well as the intricacy of the model in case, this phase may last three or up to nine months. In later case, the cycle of the second stage is repeated until the satisfactory solution is reached and the CBM designed. The stage concerns the following sub-stages:

1. Informative student – university meetings – this stage is part of the first CBM phase and continues to the end of the first sub-stage of the CBM implementation phase.
2. Civil society informative event – Citizens are involved in the initial phase of the CBM implementation phase at which their level of knowledge on the specific topic is in the focus. Additionally, civil society takes part in the final phase where they actively participate in the collective decision-making process on the business model development as fully informed and relevant actors.
   
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   To apply gamification techniques has proven to increase the level of participant attention and involvement within the event.

3. First industry-student meeting - industry representatives welcome students and academy staff at their facilities, where students present their business model design and get further practical information on the area of study. During presentation and brainstorming session, together with the joint committee create a first draft on the collaborative business model – the pre-platform CBM test case, that will further be presented to publics giving them the opportunity to enrich the content with citizen suggestions, ideas, feedback, criticism and desirable directions for further advancements. The meeting lasts about three hours. 

Results are documented in the each phase of the model. In the final stage, these results present a written integrated version of the final model. The activities and detailed formal framework of the CBM is the part of the report that serves as a case model for other regional and international collaborations between industry and the academic sector with the inclusion of end users in the model creation. The report considers transnational dimensions of the CBM contribution as well, and serves as a tool for social inclusion in business modelling, and for further improvements in collaborative participation.
Facilitator disseminates results via diverse events, conferences, regional and international networking sessions. Also, promotional activities are spread over digital channels.

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