Transforming Innovation Systems into Innovation Ecosystems: The Role of Public Policy

This study investigated the role of public policy in transforming innovation systems into innovation ecosystems. Despite the numerous studies that examined the role of innovation policies in promoting innovation systems and the increasing attention paid to the transition from innovation systems to innovation ecosystems in the literature, research on the role of public policy in facilitating this transition is sparse. To develop an analytical framework that identifies factors to be considered in policies that facilitate the transition towards innovation ecosystems, we synthesised the literature that investigated (1) the role of policy in innovation systems, (2) new features of innovation ecosystems and (3) the relations between (transformative) policies and innovation ecosystems. To identify these factors, we also drew on the concept of policy layering and the neo-Triple Helix model of innovation ecosystems. Specifically, we identified the following factors: the willingness and capacity of innovation actors to develop cross-boundary interactions on a global scale; an institutionalised civil society based on bottom-up media; and the prevailing sustainability ethos in economic, social and environmental dimensions. These can be used to design and evaluate policies that promote sustainable innovation and development as core features of innovation ecosystems.