Connecting Innovation Ecosystems and Co-Creation for Sustainable Development: A Bibliometric Exploration

Innovation ecosystems, co-creation, and sustainable development are increasingly recognized as key theoretical and practical frameworks for addressing complex societal and environmental challenges. These interrelated concepts share a common emphasis on collaboration, systems thinking, and value generation; however, the scientific literature often treats them in isolation. As a result, the lack of a unified analytical perspective limits theoretical development and practical impact. To address this gap, the paper presents a systematic bibliometric analysis of the intersection of these three domains. A dataset of 30 peer-reviewed articles was retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection using a tailored Boolean search query. The study was conducted using the Bibliometrix R-package, applying descriptive statistics, source analysis, thematic mapping, co-authorship networks, and co-word analysis to examine the structure and evolution of the field. The results reveal a fragmented, emerging research landscape, with low author continuity and limited collaborative density across institutions. Nevertheless, conceptual trends point toward growing attention to digitally enabled governance, urban innovation, and performance-oriented sustainability models. Additionally, these developments suggest a shift from abstract theorization to more applied and practice-oriented approaches. Notably, the findings underline the role of digital transformation as a connector between ecosystem dynamics, participatory innovation, and sustainability outcomes. The co-presence of public, private, and civil society actors further reflects the field’s multilevel and transdisciplinary nature. This study contributes by offering a structured overview of current knowledge, identifying persistent conceptual gaps, and laying the groundwork for future research to better integrate innovation ecosystems, co-creation processes, and sustainable development.