Framing ecosystems and innovation hubs through culture: Bibliometric analysis

Abstract

Abstract The purpose of this study is to map and analyze the evolution of scientific knowledge on the relationship between innovation hubs and culture, with particular emphasis on their role as sociocultural systems within innovation ecosystems. To this end, a systematic literature review was conducted following the PRISMA 2020 protocol, using Scopus as the primary data source. From an initial corpus of 391 records, a rigorous screening and eligibility process resulted in a final sample of 64 peer-reviewed journal articles. These documents were examined through bibliometric techniques, including performance analysis, keyword co occurrence networks, and thematic mapping, supported by VOSviewer and Bibliometrix R. The findings reveal a recent consolidation of the field, with more than seventy percent of the publications concentrated between 2019 and 2025, alongside a pronounced geographical asymmetry in knowledge production dominated by the United States, China, and the United Kingdom. Beyond publication trends, the analysis identifies the progressive articulation of four core cultural forms: innovation culture, organizational culture, entrepreneurial culture, and creative culture that mediate collaboration, learning, and technological transformation within innovation hubs. The thematic map positions innovation culture and innovation ecosystems as motor themes, while creativity and cultural industries emerge as less developed but potentially relevant research lines. Despite the growing theoretical maturity of the field, significant empirical and conceptual gaps persist. These include the limited integration of multiple cultural forms within a single analytical framework and the underrepresentation of Latin American and Global South contexts. The study concludes that understanding innovation hubs solely as technical or infrastructural arrangements is insufficient. Their effectiveness depends on the cultural configurations that legitimize experimentation, cooperation, and public purpose. This research contributes an integrative perspective that repositions culture as a structuring principle of innovation ecosystems, and provides insights for future comparative research and culturally sensitive innovation policy design.