From Silos to Synergies: A Nexus Framework for Innovation-Driven Sustainability Ecosystems

Organizing sustainability through innovation-driven ecosystem platforms is the core focus of this study. We aim to explore the attributes, practices, and participatory architecture of innovation-driven platforms designed to address grand challenges in sustainable development. A longitudinal study of an innovation platform’s organization enables us to capture major developments in the evolution of these platforms. Employing a comparative analysis of innovation-driven platforms managed by the Israel Innovation Institute (III), we review their activities in three main platform areas: Climate-related challenges, unmet mobility needs, and agricultural technology. The research questions guiding this study are: What specific attributes define each innovation-driven platform, and how can the strategies implemented by the III inform innovation practices across different domains? Further, we observe recent strategic changes and characterize the “nexus” concept to explore the novel integration of critical infrastructure components of innovation-driven platforms into a new institutional model. This model is designed to innovate while addressing higher-order societal challenges such as climate change. We introduce this model as a framework that may inform approaches to advancing sustainability across different regional or ecosystem contexts.