Barcelona Supercomputing Center: A strategic partner for industrial innovation - Teaching note

Learning Objective

Some general teaching objectives are as follows:

• Understand Open Innovation: Knowledge of how BSC facilitates open innovation through partnerships with industry and the mutual benefits that arise.
• Recognize Strategic Benefits: Explore the strategic advantages that companies gain by collaborating with BSC, including faster innovation cycles, operational efficiency, and technological leadership.
• Leverage HPC for Innovation: Examine how HPC can drive innovation across industries and transform traditional R&D processes.
• Evaluate Collaboration Models: Discuss different models of collaboration (R&D projects, joint research centers, European projects, service platforms, and fellowships) and the critical success factors.
• Assess Challenges: When collaborating with research institutions, analyze the risk, resource commitments, and intellectual property concerns.
• Examine Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs): Explore the dynamics, opportunities, and challenges of public-private partnerships, focusing on how entities like BSC act as a bridge between public research capabilities and private-sector innovation needs. Discuss the role of PPPs in fostering long-term collaboration, addressing resource gaps, and scaling solutions for industrial challenges.

This case is intended for executive education and degree programs and is suitable for corporate entrepreneurship, innovation management, strategic partnership, technology management, and R&D strategy courses.