Communication Patterns in Innovation Ecosystems: A Data Space Design Framework

Understanding multidisciplinary innovation processes is essential for creating effective data spaces that foster collaborative activities. The paper presents a methodology for visualizing all forms of communication throughout the innovation process across organizational boundaries by utilizing social network analysis tools. By tracking and analyzing communication patterns-such as email exchanges, meeting protocols, and file transfers—valuable insights into organizational behavior, dependencies, and project dynamics are obtained. These visualizations reveal critical patterns and bottlenecks, guiding the design of data spaces specifically tailored to support cross-company innovation. Emphasizing the importance of understanding communication behaviors, the paper highlights the development of technologies that build trust and enhance collaborative innovation.