This document discusses the potential benefits of establishing an open innovation center in Northern Ireland. It finds that NI lags behind other UK regions in open innovation activities, particularly among smaller firms. An open innovation center could help address this by raising awareness of open innovation, building firms' capabilities to engage in it, and facilitating partnerships between firms and other organizations. The center would likely target smaller companies and help them move from closed to open models of innovation. It could take the form of an independent innovation intermediary and draw on existing resources while operating independently. The goal would be to increase open innovation and its benefits for firms and the wider Northern Ireland economy.