Active customer integration to innovation networks: A project outlook

The actual application of customer knowledge in the new product development process (NPD) is underdeveloped, especially in the environment of SME. The project described in the paper aims to develop a new approach for the active integration of customers in the NPD process. The objective is the development of new methods and approaches for innovation processes which enable systematic and early active customer integration in the phase of generating ideas and concepts. A handbook with detailed guidelines and step-by-step suggestion making when to use which method, which departments to involve and what the trade off between possible benefits and cost is, could help to increase the implementation rate of customer integration methods.