Apostolakis, Georgios; (2025) Openness Propensity in European Innovation Systems: A multidimensional framework for analyzing systemic collaboration and innovation dynamics. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

This thesis investigates Open Innovation (OI) not merely as a firm-level strategy but as a dynamic, system-level phenomenon embedded within national and sectoral innovation systems. It introduces the concept of Openness Propensity (OP)— defined as the combination of systemic capacity (the institutional and structural resources that enable collaboration) and propensity (the empirically observable patterns of collaborative engagement across actors). OP is conceptualized as a multidimensional construct encompassing the intensity, typology, and extensiveness of collaborative practices, shaped by institutional frameworks and technological regimes. Using data from Eurostat’s Community Innovation Survey (CIS), this thesis operationalizes OP and applies Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to examine its evolution, determinants, and outcomes across European countries and sectors from 2004 to 2018. This is the first longitudinal, multi-country study to assess OI practices at both national and sectoral levels using OP as a latent construct. Empirically, the analysis shows that OP is strongly shaped by public funding, scientific search, and technological regimes. Systemic openness varies substantially across countries and sectors, with Nordic systems and science-based industries exhibiting higher levels of structured collaboration. OP influences firm-level innovation outcomes primarily through indirect mechanisms, including external search and innovation breadth. The findings contribute to the Open Innovation and Innovation Systems literatures by repositioning openness as an emergent systemic property—not only a reflection of firm choices, but of broader institutional configurations and their capacity to sustain collaboration. OP serves as a diagnostic tool for evaluating innovation system maturity and collaborative capacity, supporting differentiated policy strategies aligned with capability-based innovation, strategic autonomy, and green and digital transitions.

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