The PDMA Handbook of Innovation and New Product Development, 4th Edition

CHAPTER FIVE REPURPOSING: A COLLABORATIVE INNOVATION STRATEGY FOR THE DIGITAL AGE

Bastian Rake and Marvin Hanisch

5.1 Introduction

Most academics and practitioners associate the term innovation with the creation of something new, and our general mindset is shaped by innovations that are new to the world and have a large impact across economies and societies. Less emphasis has been placed on managing innovation and new product development that is based on new applications of existing solutions, although the innovative potential of recombining existing knowledge and technologies was acknowledged early on in the innovation literature (Mastrogiorgio and Gilsing 2016; Nelson and Winter 1982). Academics and practitioners are starting to show renewed interest in the potential of reusing existing solutions to address unsolved problems and needs (Langedijk et al. 2015). The practice of transferring a known solution to a new context is called “repurposing” and represents an often untapped opportunity for companies to innovate at low cost (Allarakhia 2013).

When thinking about repurposing as an innovation strategy, the example of Sildenafil, better known as Viagra, quickly comes to mind. Pfizer’s well-known drug was initially developed as a treatment for angina pectoris (chest pain). An unexpected side effect led to its very successful commercial repurposing into a drug for the treatment ...