National Innovation Biome (NIB): A novel conceptualization for innovation development at the national level

This paper aims to investigate the similarities between the development of the “innovation process” at the national level and the evolution of a “natural biome,” and subsequently introduce a new metaphor called the “National Innovation Biome.” To this end, the metaphor research methodology has been used based on its eight principles of optimality. In this study, the national innovation biome refers to a set of ecosystems, such as technological, industrial, knowledge, and entrepreneurial, that operate within the same institutional settings of a country. Their functional result is innovation development at the national level. This novel metaphor offers several theoretical, empirical, and policy implications. These include developing a framework to analyze the multi-ecosystem space of each country based on the diversity of different sectors and technologies, integrating neoclassical and evolutionary approaches to innovation policy, and reducing the emphasis on boundaries between innovation activities in different countries. Furthermore, in comparison with existing metaphors, the new metaphor is more pertinent to the context of developing countries. It can provide an apt analytical framework to converge innovation policies and integrate them with industrial and technological innovations.