Collaboration for heritage innovation through the lens of Public-Private innovation Networks in Services

The last years witnessed growing attention within research and policies in Europe for the relevance and manifold expressions of innovation in heritage to promote its protection in the face of global change and strengthen its catalytic role for sustainable development, economic growth and social cohesion (JPI Cultural Heritage, 2020; Sonkoly and Vahtikari, 2018). In this regard, recent research points to the centrality of co-creation and open innovation processes in the concept of 'cultural innovation' (Pozzo et al., 2020). Further, current practice highlights the vital importance of cross-sectorial collaboration involving of public, private and civil actors for heritage innovation (Vandesande and Quijano, 2021; UK National Commission for UNESCO, 2019). However, this is an emerging area that requires further research to advance the understanding of multi-actor collaborative modes of organization of innovation. This study aims to provide a contribution in this direction through the interpretive lens of Public-Private Innovation Networks in Services (PPINSs - Gallouj et al., 2013). PPINSs are a specific type of innovation network that rapidly developed in service economies and enrich the open innovation landscape (Gallouj and Djellal, 2017), overcoming the technologist, industrialist and market biases of traditional innovation networks (Gallouj et al., 2013). The study by Desmarchelier et al. (2020) provided a varied map of PPINSs in relation to their sectoral/functional fields, type of actors, nature of innovations, formation and functioning mode. On this basis, this study explores how PPINSs contribute to the conceptualization and development of collaborative heritage innovation.