Business and innovation ecosystems: innovation policy implications

Abstract

The concepts of business ecosystem and innovation ecosystem have become highly utilised in business and innovation studies. However, research on the innovation policy implications of these concepts and the ways ecosystems emerge and evolve is still rather scant. This study utilised a multiple case study approach to study real-life business and innovation ecosystems in an innovation policy context. Based on the case study findings and other empirical data, the key elements of ecosystem-based innovation policy were outlined. Business and innovation ecosystems are strongly self-organising and the role of the public sector is to support their self-renewal capacity. Ecosystem-based policy approach consists of elements such as testing and experimentation culture, funding through public procurement and positive questioning of existing procedures and it crosses the traditional policy boundaries. Adopting the ecosystem perspective in policymaking requires interaction between different policy fields and levels.