This study contributes to the current literature on open innovation by analysing the effects of open innovation activities on the introduction of new-to-the-world innovations versus imitation. We base our analysis on data provided by the Eurostat Community Innovation Survey (CIS) carried out in Germany in 2012, which for the first time made a distinction between world–first innovation and imitation. We use both logit models and CHAID trees. The results of both analyses show that traditional in-house innovation and patents continue to make the largest contribution to world-first innovation in the so-called open-innovation era, while some specific open innovation activities contribute to a lesser extent: cooperation with customers, information from universities, cooperation with suppliers, and acquisition of machinery. Thus, promoting open innovation can be advantageous not only for imitative innovation but also for introducing world-first innovations. The European Commission should continue to include open innovation policies in its agenda

Acknowledgements are due to Eurostat for providing us with the Community Innovation Survey microdata. Authors have all responsibility for the results obtained. The first author was supported by the University of Girona grant (BR-UdG). The second author was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitivenessgrant ECO2013-46954-C3-3-R, by the Catalan Autonomous Government grant 2014SGR868, and by the University of Girona grant MPCUdG2016/093. The third author was supported by the Catalan Autonomous Government grant 2014SGR551, by the Spanish Health Ministry grant CB06/02/1002, by the Spanish Economy and Competitiveness Ministry grant MTM2015-65016-C2-1-R, and by the University of Girona grant MPCUdG2016/069