about why organisations are forced to team up with others in their innovation
endeavours [24, 78]. The resources exchanged spanned from technologies and
other forms of material resources, expert knowledge in specific areas and information related to the targeted markets. The importance of cooperation with suppliers of
technologies (e.g. in the cases of the eSOS: efficient and intelligent toilets project in
Kenya and the Storm forecasts for Musanze project in Rwanda) and with clients of
innovations (such as in the case of the Reducing water loss by improved data systems
project in Kenya in which Upande Ltd partners with water utilities) has been studied
in other contexts [79, 80]. The exchange of resources in the ICT-WIPs takes place
through channels such as joint project teams (i.e. bringing together staff from
partnering organisations) and division of labour among partnership members. In
line with knowledge management theories, the meetings and other project events
organised by such joint teams allow partnership members to share explicit knowledge (e.g. through information exchange) as well as tacit knowledge (e.g. through
human resource exchange) [74, 77].
While cooperation with suppliers generally aims at complementing research and
development (R&D)-related resources, partnering with customers and/or end-users
provides access to relevant information and knowledge about market aspects such as
customer preferences and prices they can afford and the market size – all of which
reduces market uncertainties [81, 82]. The results in this study showed that conventional innovators such as universities and research institutions are not well
represented in the partnerships. This finding is surprising though! Because the
VIA Water programme supports water innovations that have just come out of the
research phase and require a piloting period before scale up [15], one would expect
knowledge institutes to be involved in such early stage innovations as they embody
the related knowledge. Yet we also know that, traditionally, alliances with the
aforementioned institutions are crafted when innovating companies need sophisticated and intensive R&D infrastructure and knowledge [83].
The innovation partnerships analysed in this study appear to also be motivated
by the objective to reduce risks or costs associated with the development and
implementation of their innovations. Although the ICT-focused water innovations
supported by VIA Water are relatively small projects, the fact that most of them are
essentially at the pilot stage implies that they involve huge risks and uncertainties
which can be reduced through partnerships. The resources required to implement the
pilots are not that huge, and they are in big part covered through the VIA Water seed
capital fund; thus, the cost burden at the moment is relatively not heavy as the
partnerships are not obliged to return the seed money in case of failure (or lack of
innovation uptake). However, cost and risk reduction concerns will definitely
increase when the partnerships start large-scale implementation of their innovation
projects. This is the innovation stage that usually requires colossal amounts of
money (generally acquired through bank loans or Venture capitalists) and exposes
innovators to serious risks.
The fact that the partnerships acknowledge the importance of (and involve)
stakeholders in their water innovation processes is in line with the literature on
196
S. Mvulirwenande and U. Wehn
endeavours [24, 78]. The resources exchanged spanned from technologies and
other forms of material resources, expert knowledge in specific areas and information related to the targeted markets. The importance of cooperation with suppliers of
technologies (e.g. in the cases of the eSOS: efficient and intelligent toilets project in
Kenya and the Storm forecasts for Musanze project in Rwanda) and with clients of
innovations (such as in the case of the Reducing water loss by improved data systems
project in Kenya in which Upande Ltd partners with water utilities) has been studied
in other contexts [79, 80]. The exchange of resources in the ICT-WIPs takes place
through channels such as joint project teams (i.e. bringing together staff from
partnering organisations) and division of labour among partnership members. In
line with knowledge management theories, the meetings and other project events
organised by such joint teams allow partnership members to share explicit knowledge (e.g. through information exchange) as well as tacit knowledge (e.g. through
human resource exchange) [74, 77].
While cooperation with suppliers generally aims at complementing research and
development (R&D)-related resources, partnering with customers and/or end-users
provides access to relevant information and knowledge about market aspects such as
customer preferences and prices they can afford and the market size – all of which
reduces market uncertainties [81, 82]. The results in this study showed that conventional innovators such as universities and research institutions are not well
represented in the partnerships. This finding is surprising though! Because the
VIA Water programme supports water innovations that have just come out of the
research phase and require a piloting period before scale up [15], one would expect
knowledge institutes to be involved in such early stage innovations as they embody
the related knowledge. Yet we also know that, traditionally, alliances with the
aforementioned institutions are crafted when innovating companies need sophisticated and intensive R&D infrastructure and knowledge [83].
The innovation partnerships analysed in this study appear to also be motivated
by the objective to reduce risks or costs associated with the development and
implementation of their innovations. Although the ICT-focused water innovations
supported by VIA Water are relatively small projects, the fact that most of them are
essentially at the pilot stage implies that they involve huge risks and uncertainties
which can be reduced through partnerships. The resources required to implement the
pilots are not that huge, and they are in big part covered through the VIA Water seed
capital fund; thus, the cost burden at the moment is relatively not heavy as the
partnerships are not obliged to return the seed money in case of failure (or lack of
innovation uptake). However, cost and risk reduction concerns will definitely
increase when the partnerships start large-scale implementation of their innovation
projects. This is the innovation stage that usually requires colossal amounts of
money (generally acquired through bank loans or Venture capitalists) and exposes
innovators to serious risks.
The fact that the partnerships acknowledge the importance of (and involve)
stakeholders in their water innovation processes is in line with the literature on
196
S. Mvulirwenande and U. Wehn