Eric von Hippel

Eric von Hippel serves as Professor of Management of Innovation and Engineering Systems at MIT Sloan School of Management, where he has fundamentally transformed our understanding of innovation sources and processes. After earning degrees from Harvard (BA in Economics), MIT (SM in Mechanical Engineering), and Carnegie-Mellon (PhD in Business and Engineering), he has established himself as a leading authority on user-driven innovation. His groundbreaking research demonstrates how user communities increasingly drive product development across various fields, from software to sporting equipment. Through his influential book "Democratizing Innovation," he documents how users are becoming powerful innovation engines, often surpassing traditional manufacturer-led development. His work has earned prestigious recognition, including the Humboldt Research Award and multiple honorary doctorates, notably from the Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg. Currently, he leads major research initiatives exploring user innovation communities while collaborating with governments in the Netherlands, Denmark, and the United Kingdom to develop policies supporting user-centered innovation. His research has revealed that in many industries, from scientific instruments to semiconductor processing, users rather than manufacturers are the primary sources of innovation