@article {1222, title = {The SDG-Check: Guiding Open Innovation towards Sustainable Development Goals}, journal = {Technology Innovation Management Review}, volume = {9}, year = {2019}, month = {03/2019}, pages = {20-37}, publisher = {Talent First Network}, address = {Ottawa}, abstract = {The {\textquotedblleft}fuzzy front end{\textquotedblright} of innovation is argued to be crucial for the success and sustainability impact of a final product. Indeed, it is a promising area of focus in efforts to achieve the United Nations{\textquoteright} 2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which provide a globally accepted framework for sustainability. However, the usability of the 17 goals and the large number of sub-goals represent barriers to innovation practitioners. Moreover, this early innovation stage proves to be a challenge for corporate practitioners and innovators, largely due to the concept{\textquoteright}s intangible, qualitative nature and the lack of data. To help overcome these barriers, this article proposes a four-stage approach for structuring the innovation process using an online tool called the {\textquotedblleft}SDG-Check{\textquotedblright}, which help assess an innovator{\textquoteright}s sustainability orientation in the early phases of product and service development. It is a semi-quantitative tool to gather and combine assessments by experts involved in innovation processes with implications for the United Nations{\textquoteright} SDGs. Furthermore, this article presents our first experiences in applying the SDG-Check based on three living lab innovation cases. The results indicate that the tools can support and inspire a dialogue with internal and external stakeholders with regards to sustainability considerations in the early design stages of product and service development. }, keywords = {fuzzy front end of innovation, Living lab, Open innovation, SDG-Check, sustainability assessments, sustainability inspiration, sustainable development goals}, issn = {1927-0321}, doi = {http://doi.org/10.22215/timreview/1222}, url = {https://timreview.ca/article/1222}, author = {Justus von Geibler and Julius Piwowar and Annika Greven} }