Advancing Open Innovation in the Age of AI and Digital Transformation
A special issue of Systems (ISSN 2079-8954). This special issue belongs to the section "Systems Practice in Social Science".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 111
Special Issue Editors
Interests: entrepreneurship; innovation management; SMEs; emerging economies; creative problem solving; research methods
Interests: technology management; disruptive innovation; AI frameworks and architecture; innovation management
Interests: entrepreneurship; smart city management; informal economy; theory of planned behaviour; SMEs; Business creation and startups; entrepreneurship education; innovation; research methods
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The digital era has fundamentally transformed how organizations innovate, collaborate, and create value. Artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics, and platform technologies are redefining the boundaries of openness, shifting open innovation from a firm-centric process to a networked, data-driven, and algorithmically mediated phenomenon. In this evolving context, traditional models of open innovation must be re-examined through the lenses of digital transformation, marketing innovation, and information systems.
This Special Issue aims to advance theoretical and empirical understanding of how AI and digital transformation are reshaping open innovation processes, strategies, and outcomes across industries, organizational forms, and ecosystems. It welcomes interdisciplinary submissions that bridge insights from marketing, information systems, innovation management, and public policy. Conceptual, empirical, methodological, and case-based studies are equally encouraged.
This Special Issue seeks to attract contributions under (but not limited to) the following thematic clusters:
- Customer-Centric Open Innovation
Indicative topics include:
- Digital co-creation, crowdsourcing, and participatory innovation;
- AI-driven customer insights and predictive innovation;
- Brand communities and innovation contests;
- Human–AI collaboration in marketing creativity;
- Open innovation for sustainable and responsible marketing.
- AI-Enabled Innovation Systems
Indicative topics include:
- AI and machine learning for knowledge discovery and innovation intelligence;
- Generative AI as a creative partner in product and service innovation;
- Algorithmic openness, transparency, and accountability;
- Data-driven innovation and dynamic capabilities;
- AI-augmented decision-making in innovation management.
- Digital Platforms and Ecosystem Orchestration
Indicative topics include:
- Platform business models and innovation ecosystems;
- Governance and boundary resources (APIs, SDKs);
- Data sharing and interoperability across platforms;
- Digital intermediaries and cross-industry innovation;
- Orchestration of open innovation networks.
- Data Governance, Trust, and Digital Ethics
Indicative topics include:
- Data governance for open innovation ecosystems;
- Privacy, security, and consent in AI-driven innovation;
- Blockchain and distributed trust mechanisms;
- Intellectual property, openness, and knowledge protection;
- Ethical AI and responsible openness.
- Organizational Capabilities and Digital Transformation
Indicative topics include:
- IT and IS capabilities for open innovation;
- Digital transformation and organizational ambidexterity;
- Leadership and absorptive capacity in open innovation contexts;
- SMEs and startups in digital innovation ecosystems;
- Dynamic capabilities for managing openness.
- Policy, Society, and the Future of Openness
Indicative topics include:
- National and regional policies for AI and open innovation;
- Open science, open data, and public–private knowledge sharing;
- Socio-technical systems and digital inclusion;
- Sustainability and societal impacts of openness;
- The future of human–AI collaboration in innovation.
We invite scholars to submit their research to this Special Issue, which illuminates the emerging logics, capabilities, and governance mechanisms that underpin open innovation in the digital era.
Prof. Dr. Jun Li
Dr. Sadia Riaz
Dr. Sawsan Malik
Dr. Shijie Zhang
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Systems is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- open innovation
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- digital transformation
- innovation ecosystems
- co-creation
- platform economy
- data governance
- human–AI collaboration
- organizational capabilities
- sustainability
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