G-WIN: seek and ye shall find

General Mills is taking a more targeted approach to open innovation as its worldwide innovation network (G-WIN) celebrates its first anniversary.

The company, which has been actively encouraging companies or individuals with patented technologies or ingredients to get in touch and collaborate, was now taking a more proactive approach, said open innovation director Jeff Bellairs.

He said: "Serendipity has its place, and we've received some great concepts. However, we are now being more proactive, laying out our strategic goals and actively seeking out people who can help us meet them. We decide where we want to go, see whether we have the capability to go there in-house, and if not, cast our net as wide as possible to find someone that can help us get where we want to go more quickly."

General Mills was not simply looking for ideas, but patented or patent-pending technologies, he said: "We want something that's a little more developed with some concrete IP (intellectual property) behind it. We then have monthly meetings to decide which concepts are worth pursuing.

"If something has legs, we'll allocate a sponsor to take it forward. Ultimately, we're looking to strike an exclusivity deal for a particular category, geography, or period of time."

G-WIN has received more than 200 concept submissions from third parties in the last 12 months - a 300% increase on the number submitted in the previous year. Several of them have led to the development of new products, from carbonated yoghurts to reduced sodium soups and fibre-rich snack bars.