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Developing business ideas for drone technologies
Developing business ideas for drone technologies

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9 Ecosystems embedded in networks: network structural dimension

Networks have a structural dimension which is important when considering which partner to choose when forming new collaborations. The structural dimension of networks suggests that it is not only important who you are directly connected to, but in turn, the connections of your partners indirectly matter to you too. Moreover, because of the importance of indirect connections, actors that obtain a central position in a network, through their large numbers of direct connections, increase in importance. They become central nodes and conduits of most network information and knowledge.

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Figure 11 Visualisation of a network and its structural dimension

Alternatively, an actor might gain importance in a network because they are the only ones connected to distant, otherwise disconnected actors. Therefore, such actors can become important for bringing to the network such distant and varied information. If you’re a new actor in a network and you wish to access the maximum knowledge and information possible with the least number of dyadic relationships, it might be worth considering connecting to such actors.

The animation below shows a simplified network map, based on a real example, and showcases the importance of both direct and indirect connections. You can explore the personal contact network of Flora, the founder of a social enterprise operating in the health and social care sectors, by hovering over the highlighted features and clicking on any links or nodes (another name for network actors) that change to red. Spend a few minutes exploring the animation as it will help you to become more familiar with some key concepts linked to networks.

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Animation 1 Flora, a founder of a social enterprise in health and social care and her personal contact network
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Activity 4

Timing: Allow approximately 20 minutes.

After considering the structural elements of networks and the example of Flora’s network shown in Animation 1, can you come up with any further ideas on possible indirect connections that can support you in developing your business idea and business model canvas?

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In Week 2 you created a LinkedIn [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] professional profile and connected with the profile of the ICAERUS project. You might have also connected with the leaders of the ICAERUS Use Cases and the new businesses funded by ICAERUS. These actors are parts of your social network. Can any of these actors support you to gain access to resources to develop your business idea? You could start approaching your direct and indirect connections and start discussing your business idea.

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