ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the interface between innovation systems and digital systems as a key driver of growth, shaping ‘smart growth’. It examines how innovation and smart environments are interlinked, and how innovation strategies and digital strategies are connected to serve growth objectives. The chapter also discusses many different aspects of the innovation and digital interface. It deals with the outlook of current growth trends and the disruptive role played by digital technologies. The chapter looks at the digital disruption of business practices, the use of digital tools and smart environments for innovation and new product development, the rise of cyber-physical systems innovation and cyber-physical infrastructures. It also examines how different strategies connect innovation and digital agendas and contribute to smart growth. The chapter provides connectors and bridges between innovation systems and digital systems that sustain smart growth, such as industry sector-specific smart environments, innovation over platforms, and digital solutions for co-design and innovation with customers and the crowd.
