An approach to the open innovation strategy in Higher Education Institutions in the metropolitan area of Bucaramanga

In Colombia, there is a need to implement best practices in education, and open innovation is a core organizational strategy for Higher Education Institutions, which allows the flow of knowledge both within and outside of the organization, in a way that leads to innovation Educational. In this regard, the purpose of this research approaches the study of best practices of open innovation, to identify possible applications for them in the different Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) of the Metropolitan Area of Bucaramanga (AMB). For this, an exploration of the literature was initially carried out to identify the open innovation practices applicable to the studied sector. With them a diagnostic tool for collecting information was designed, to later characterize from a quantitative approach, the state of implementation of the same In HEIs. In this research, it was found that more than 80% of the evaluated institutions ensured that they knew what open innovation was and, in addition, it was verified that all applied, at different levels, open innovation. Also, six clusters with differentiated characteristics were identified, which contribute to the exploration and description of a geographical context, that, despite being one of the most innovative in Colombia, has been subject of minimal research in terms of innovation.