The overall research focus of the Center is innovation activity and its development in companies. In broadening the focus beyond the technology, we hope to contribute to a better understanding of innovation within the research community and among companies: the emphasis will be on business innovation. Our research approach is interactive and action-oriented, intended to produce actionable knowledge, i.e. knowledge that is directly useful to companies and organizations that participate in the Center’s research projects. CBI research is conducted within projects, which create specific arenas for the generation and exchange of knowledge with and among participant practitioners and researchers. The Center aims to become an arena in which our own and others’ research can be shared and diffused, and meetings can take place between research actors. CBI research is also diffused in the traditional way through scientific publications and educational activities.

The rationale for CBI is a research center involved in interactive research, while promoting business development in companies. This involves two main tasks:

1. Conducting research that results in actionable knowledge, i.e. knowledge that is directly useful to the companies and organizations that participate in CBI research projects;
2. Providing an arena for knowledge-sharing, i.e. a platform for exchanging and improving business-related knowledge, contributing new ideas and enabling the creation of new projects through university-industry collaboration.