Authors : Paulo Roberto de Araújo; Adriana Coutinho da Cunha; Adriana Dias Penha; Cora Carolina Ferreira Veloso; Maria da Guia dos Santos Andrade; Marília Cristine Valente Viana; Nathalia De Viana Miranda; Rosimary Botelho De Santana; Tiago Luz De Oliveira; Edson Nogueira da Silva

Volume/Issue : Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 3 - March

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/4n527v9f

Scribd : https://tinyurl.com/5n92rswy

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26mar059

Note : A published paper may take 4-5 working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and ResearchGate.

Abstract : The increasing complexity of contemporary productive systems has positioned innovation ecosystems as a central framework for understanding the generation, diffusion, and application of knowledge across organizational and territorial contexts. These ecosystems are characterized by the interaction of multiple interdependent actors, including universities, firms, governments, and support institutions, whose collaborative dynamics enable systemic value creation and technological advancement. Despite the consolidation of the concept, the literature remains fragmented, with diverse theoretical and methodological approaches that hinder an integrated understanding of the structural and institutional factors shaping ecosystem performance and evolution. In response, this study aimed to comparatively analyze innovation ecosystems, focusing on their structure, governance, relational dynamics, and evolutionary processes, through an integrative literature review. Data were collected from the Web of Science Core Collection using structured descriptors related to innovation ecosystems and comparative analysis, resulting in 130 initial records. After applying inclusion criteria—open access, review articles, and publication between 2021 and 2026—the corpus was reduced to 20 studies, of which 17 were fully incorporated into the final synthesis following analytical screening. The analysis was conducted using thematic content analysis, enabling the identification of five analytical categories: ecosystem structure, governance mechanisms, relational dynamics, evolutionary maturity, and value creation capacity. The findings indicate that innovation ecosystems operate as complex sociotechnical systems whose effectiveness depends on coordinated governance, institutional support, collaborative networks, and adaptive capabilities. Furthermore, ecosystem performance is strongly influenced by structural integration, actor interdependence, and institutional alignment, which collectively enable knowledge circulation and innovation scaling. The study concludes that innovation ecosystems constitute fundamental mechanisms for promoting technological development and systemic competitiveness. As a theoretical contribution, this research advances the integrative understanding of ecosystem structure and dynamics, while practically highlighting the importance of coordinated policies, institutional strengthening, and collaborative governance to support sustainable innovation ecosystem development.

Keywords : Innovation Ecosystems; Entrepreneurial Ecosystems; Ecosystem Governance; Innovation Networks; Comparative Analysis; Systematic Literature Review; Technological Innovation; Ecosystem Performance; Institutional Collaboration; Innovation Dynamics.

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