A Network Approach to the Digital Innovation Hub as an Ecosystem Supporting the Digital Transformation of Enterprises in a Region

Abstract

The study aims to examine the two-mode network of digital innovation hubs (DIH) operating in Poland, understood as ecosystems and competence centers, to support the digital transformation of enterprises in a region. Digital Innovation Hub is also one of the S3 Smart Specialization Platform mapping tools and identifying areas of economic specialization of regions, aimed at facilitating interregional cooperation and creating partnerships between different actors across Europe. While the functions and goals of DIH are more and more often presented in national and regional development documents, little is known about the network structure of DIHs operating in a given country (region) and in the European Union. The study used structured and secondary Smart Specialization Platform data, which allows the creation of two-mode relationship networks and shows how interrelated the studied DIHs and digital technologies they use are. Based on the social network analysis and network metrics (centrality, density, and network projection) integrated into programs such as UCINET and ORA-PRO, the visualization and measurement of the network structure of two-mode networks (actor x technology AT_ij) as well as its projection into actor x actor (AA_ij) and technology x technology (TT_ij) networks were created. The results show 15 DIHs or actors (A) and 29 technologies (T), each of which a given DIH offers to show primarily influential DIHs and digital technologies as well as the areas of cooperation. DIHs are a promising and still little explored area of interest for researchers worldwide. The article is the first attempt to investigate the network structure of DIHs operating in Poland and their relations to technologies.