Networked Innovation: Ecosystems, Tensions, and Collaborative Futures

In recent decades, network-based perspectives have become increasingly influential in understanding how actors—whether individuals, organizations, or institutions—coordinate and co-create innovations in rapidly changing environments (Haythornthwaite, 1996; Carayannis & Campbell, 2009; Bolici et al., 2022). Digital innovation, in particular, has significantly altered how ecosystems emerge and operate, introducing new opportunities as well as critical tensions (Nachira et al., 2007; Senyo et al., 2019; Eloundou et al., 2023). These tensions span multiple dimensions: privacy versus data-driven efficiency (Stahl & Wright, 2018); generative AI’s transformative potential versus concerns for ethics and responsible adoption (Eloundou et al., 2023); technological reshaping of healthcare systems versus the need for inclusive patient-centered approaches (Illario et al., 2022); and the strategic rethinking of industrial operations in pursuit of sustainability (Riesener et al., 2019; Yung et al., 2023). Against this backdrop, the “Triple Helix” model and its various evolutions (Quadruple and Quintuple Helix) underscore the need for collaboration among academia, industry, government, and civil society to address these emerging complexities (Leydesdorff & Etzkowitz, 1998; Carayannis & Campbell, 2009; Carayannis et al., 2012). Embracing such ecosystemic thinking is vital to promoting innovation that is not only economically viable but also socially and ethically sound.