Mapping the Intersection of Open Innovation and Sustainability: A Bibliometric Analysis

This bibliometric study examines the intellectual structure of the literature on open innovation and sustainability through a keyword co-occurrence network analysis using VOSviewer. The analysis identified 77 keywords grouped into 7 thematic clusters, highlighting the multidimensional and interdisciplinary evolution of the field. The findings reveal that open innovation is the central concept, strongly interconnected with sustainability, innovation, circular economy, collaborative innovation, eco-innovation, and knowledge management. The cluster analysis identifies several major research streams. One cluster emphasizes sustainability, green innovation, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability-oriented innovation, reflecting the growing integration of environmental and social objectives into innovation strategies. Another cluster focuses on collaborative innovation, ecosystems, entrepreneurship, and artificial intelligence, demonstrating the increasing importance of stakeholder collaboration and digital technologies in sustainable innovation processes. A further cluster is associated with competitive advantage, ambidexterity, knowledge, and strategic management, highlighting the role of organizational capabilities in achieving sustainable competitiveness. Additional clusters explore themes such as circular economy, sustainable development goals (SDGs), eco-innovation, technology transfer, absorptive capacity, digitalization, business models, and innovation ecosystems. The visualization also indicates the emergence of topics related to smart cities, quadruple helix collaboration, SMEs, and Industry 4.0, suggesting that the field is increasingly moving toward ecosystem-based and technology-enabled sustainability solutions. Overall, the results demonstrate that research on open innovation and sustainability has evolved from traditional innovation management perspectives toward more collaborative, sustainability-oriented, and digitally driven approaches. The study contributes by mapping the main thematic domains within the literature and identifying emerging areas for future research at the intersection of innovation and sustainable development.