ESADE's latest faculty member is the father of the theory of Open Innovation, Henry Chesbrough. The appointment, as visiting professor, reinforces the business school's mission to be a leader in the field of innovation, as exemplified by the ESADE Creapolis campus, which was itself inspired by Chesbrough’s theories.
Chesbrough, who is professor and executive director of the Center for Open Innovation at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, will give classes within various ESADE programmes including the MBA, Executive MBA and PhD.
The first sessions have already taken place on the Sant Cugat campus to positive feedback from PhD students. Alongside Wim Vanhaverbeke of Hasselt University, Vlerick Management School and ESADE, visiting professor Chesbrough focused on how to forge new business models by applying open innovation strategies.
Chesbrough’s research interests include innovation within companies, structuring and managing research and development, managing intellectual property, technology-based spin-offs and corporate venture capital, and the comparative evolution of hi-tech industries in the US, Japan and Western Europe.
“I chose ESADE as it’s one of Europe’s leading management schools, where I've encountered an environment that fully supports what I most enjoy doing: teaching how to innovate.” Chesbrough said.
ESADE's investment in the Creapolis centre was a decisive factor for the innovation guru, who views the campus as a “Laboratory which gives valuable support to companies and management students in the development of innovative ideas and their application to new business models.”