Open and Sustainable Innovation in Port Ecosystems: A Case Study of the Port of Sines

Ports are increasingly required to respond to environmental regulation, digital transformation, and demands for more sustainable logistics systems. Although research on smart ports, green ports and innovation ecosystems has expanded, less attention has been given to how Open and Sustainable Innovation is enabled, constrained and institutionalised within public port authorities. This study examines this process in the Port of Sines, Portugal’s largest port and a strategic Atlantic logistics hub. A qualitative single-case study was conducted, drawing on institutional documents, nine semi-structured interviews, observational material and MAXQDA-supported qualitative coding. The analysis was structured around four interdependent dimensions: environmental, organisational, cultural and technological. The findings show that Open and Sustainable Innovation is enabled by European sustainability agendas, digitalisation initiatives, the NEXUS Agenda and multi-stakeholder collaboration. However, it remains only partially institutionalised. Organisational fragmentation, limited learning routines, uneven cultural readiness, data-sharing concerns and dependence on externally funded projects constrain long-term innovation capabilities. The study contributes by conceptualising Open and Sustainable Innovation in public port ecosystems as an institutionalisation process rather than as a set of isolated digital, environmental or collaborative initiatives. It offers practical insights for strengthening governance coordination, stakeholder trust, data-sharing arrangements and organisational learning in sustainable port transformation.