NineSigma White Paper: What It Takes to Be Successful in Open Innovation Marketplace

CLEVELAND, OH--(Marketwire - July 23, 2008) - In a new, original white paper titled "Open Innovation: A NineSigma Solution Provider's Perspective," Dr. Charles Roe, program manager for NineSigma, and CG2 NanoCoatings' Founder and President Amlan Gupta provide an enlightening look into how to make open innovation work today for both innovation seekers and small solution providers. The white paper provides a first-hand perspective on what solution providers should expect when participating in an open innovation marketplace as Gupta shares the critical business lessons he has learned from participating in more than 25 NineSigma Requests for Proposals, from protecting intellectual property, to managing expectations and the importance of responsiveness and communications.

"Our open innovation RFP process is a great way for companies, researchers, entrepreneurs, inventors and innovators to enhance products, services and technology," said Dr. Roe. "It is a method of working that eliminates pigeonholes, changes conventional thinking, establishes new channels of communications, triggers opportunity, and embraces external contributions and expertise. For the process to be effective, it's important that solution providers clearly understand how their services can help solve the business and technology challenges that our clients bring to us. This discussion with Amlan identifies what it takes to be successful as an open innovation solution provider, and some of the steps innovation seekers can take to work more effectively with potential problem solvers."

Topics addressed in the interview-style white paper include the following:

--  The importance of intellectual property to both solution providers and
    innovation seekers in the open innovation process;
--  The relationship between solution provider and innovation seekers from
    the RFP through negotiations;
--  What solution providers should expect during the open innovation
    process; and
--  How solution providers should approach discussions with potential
    buyers or partners.
    

"We are interested in the emerging trend among large companies that are enhancing their research and product development initiatives through external partnerships," stated Gupta. "While large companies can afford to increase staffing and facilities, this is not always the most cost effective means to developing a solution. Companies that supplement their internal innovation processes with external expertise can achieve results faster, thereby improving their products, revenues, market share and profits. The biggest benefit of this trend for a small company like ours is that we can effectively use our limited resources for marketing and advertising through NineSigma's process, which places our technology in front of top tier companies at minimal costs."

To download the white paper, please click here.

About CG2 NanoCoatings

CG2 NanoCoatings, based in Ottawa, Canada, is a research and development company specializing in nanotechnology-based coatings and polymeric materials. CG2 NanoCoatings provides custom solutions to meet specific needs by tailoring its technology portfolio to individual requests. For more information, visit: www.cg2nanocoatings.com.

About NineSigma

NineSigma partners with Global 1000 companies to help transform their innovation capabilities and overcome business and technology challenges by connecting them with solutions not readily available in the public domain. NineSigma's proprietary process for Open Innovation enables companies to dramatically improve speed to market while lowering product development costs. NineSigma's open network of innovators is the largest of its kind and spans industries, geographies and technical disciplines. Companies such as DuPont, GlaxoSmithKline, Kraft, P&G, Philips, Unilever and Xerox engage NineSigma to build new innovation capabilities that leverage research and innovation globally to deliver greater value to their customers. NineSigma is a private company with offices in the United States, Belgium and Japan. For more information visit: www.ninesigma.com.

Contact Information: Media Contact: Dan Dyer 513-478-7818