The role of knowledge in the New Product Development Process through the perspective of business model

Collaborating to new product development (NPD) is became a common and diffused practices to share skills and resources and to better manage costs and risks. The important role of collaboration in network and its interrelated exchange of knowledge needs in–depth analysis to highlight their role in the organisational mechanisms of working. This paper describes a business model for companies working in network where the knowledge and its protection is relevant. It is as a conceptual paper and wants to highlight the relevant role of the knowledge exchanged in a value network of companies for developing a new product. These aspects are treated and discussed through the use of business model elements in order to point out the relevance of knowledge and its management also in the organisational operations definitions. The findings contribute to enlarge the proposition on business model and knowledge sharing for NPD.