PhD Thesis

Emergence of innovation ecosystem and the orchestration of the science, technology and innovation continuum in a globally complex technopolitical environment: The case of 5G technology

December 2024

Abstract

In today’s global landscape, organizations such as firms, universities, and research institutions are compelled to collaborate both nationally and internationally to stay competitive. These collaborations are increasingly influenced by the interplay between technology and geopolitics (technopolitics). This is particularly evident in the development of frontier technologies like blockchain, quantum computing, AI, and 5G, where collaboration is essential for realizing economic benefits and securing a competitive edge. At the same time, these technologies intensify geopolitical competition, as nations and organizations race to achieve strategic dominance while also striving to avoid dependence on certain countries for critical technologies. In this complex environment, innovation ecosystems emerge as an interesting framework for investigating these interconnected challenges.

Orchestrators of innovation ecosystems must navigate these complexities, particularly during the critical emergence phase of these ecosystems. However, much of the existing literature focuses on established ecosystems, often overlooking how these ecosystems form in uncertain international, technological, and political contexts.

To address this gap, this thesis focuses on the following research question: How do key actors orchestrate an emerging innovation ecosystem in an uncertain international, technological, and political context?

Based on an in-depth review of the literature presented in the first chapter, three research avenues are explored to answer this research question: (1) key orchestration mechanisms in the emergence phase of innovation ecosystems; (2) the resilience of innovation ecosystems to external disturbances; (3) the role of public policy in the emergence phase of ecosystems. These three avenues are approached from different angles and in different ways in four separate articles, each contributing to an understanding of orchestration processes and the dynamics within emerging innovation ecosystems.

First, the 5G ecosystem is still in its emerging phase, as it has not yet been widely adopted, particularly by firms and industries, leaving much of its potential untapped. Second, the fact that 5G technology has triggered geopolitical tensions due to its significant economic potential and associated security concerns makes it especially pertinent to our research objectives.

One of the original features of this thesis lies in its adoption of a multi-method approach that integrates both qualitative and quantitative analyses to explore the emergence of the 5G innovation ecosystem. By combining diversified methods such as social network analysis, regressions, text mining, and semi-structured interviews, this research takes advantage of several types of data and methodologies to obtain a deeper understanding on several dimensions of the emergence phase of an ecosystem in uncertain international, technological, and political contexts.

An in-depth case study then identifies the key mechanisms involved in the emergence of an innovation ecosystem. More specifically, this analysis highlights the orchestrator role that a collective temporary structure can play. By bringing together key players, this research shows how and by what mechanisms this temporary structure could orchestrate the emergence of an innovation ecosystem (Article 1).

An analysis of social networks and small-world structures has showed changes in collaborative patterns and structural properties of the scientific network in 5G during periods of geopolitical tension, mainly between China and the USA (Article 2). In addition, a simulation of Huawei’s exclusion from the Canadian 5G academic-industrial network examines the impact of this exclusion on collaboration and structural properties of the network. This analysis is complemented by a text analysis using text mining techniques, which identifies 5G research topics potentially dependent on Huawei in Canada (Article 3).

Finally, a quantitative study based on an econometric model allows us to observe the impact of scientific collaboration with Chinese scientists and Huawei on the scientific performance of 5G Canadian researchers (Article 4).