Innovation intermediaries' types and functions: A computational analysis of the literature

Abstract

Innovation intermediaries have become numerous and diverse. Faced with this growing heterogeneity, there is the need to advance understanding of the organisations that engage in innovation intermediation activities. To do so, we use a combination of text mining and bibliometric techniques, and we identify seven different streams of literature, six of which refer to distinct types of intermediaries that perform specific functions and often involve specific types of organisations. Looking at the evolution of the different streams of literature over time, we find that the early contributions focused on university incubators, science and technology parks, and the role they play within different types of innovation systems. More recently, the focus has shifted to the role of intermediaries in supporting sustainable transitions. Despite the differences between the various types of intermediaries and the literature streams that analyse them, the bibliographic coupling shows that all strands of literature have a common theoretical basis, which includes the open innovation approach and revolves around the role of science parks and incubators.