Interface standards and creating innovation markets—implications on SMEs in a technology programme

Creating markets for innovations developed and fixed interface standards are both exceptional features for technology programmes and especially interesting from the point of view of innovating SMEs. This article examines the influence of these features of a technology programme in the field of building automation on the innovation processes of participating SMEs. It also explores the use of a technology programme based on an open interface standard with market creation as a way of escaping from a locked-in market situation resulting from domination of systems based on closed interfaces. Market creating technology programmes seem to have a potential for significantly helping SMEs in the commercialization of the products developed. This could be enhanced by setting the timeframe of demand creating activities according to the needs of the commercialization processes. The results suggest that technology programmes based on an open standard have a potential to relieve lock-in situations in the markets to some extent. Judging from the experiences of the case companies, demand creating activities may have a significant role in this. The interoperability problems experienced suggest a need for systematic efforts to ensure the actual interoperability of components in technology programmes based on an interface standard.