Institutional evolution of innovation in the digital transformation

The rapid development of cross-cutting digital technologies is fundamentally changing the structure of national economies, requiring an adequate response from state and public institutions. In today’s environment, traditional mechanisms to support innovation are losing their effectiveness. There is an objective need for a deep theoretical and practical analysis of how digital transformation predetermines the institutional evolution of the innovation system of the Russian Federation. The article details the specificity of the transition from rigid hierarchical innovation structures to flexible network ecosystems and digital platforms. The author classified key stages of institutional evolution of the innovation sphere in digitalization. Critical institutional gaps have been identified, including regulatory lags behind technological progress, a digital skills deficit, and barriers to cross-agency collaboration. The growing role of institutions of trust, intellectual property in the digital environment and mechanisms of public-private partnership of a new kind is justified. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the author’s interpretation of the concept of "institutional evolution of innovation activity" with reference to the era of industry 4.0. A comprehensive matrix of the mutual influence of digital trends and institutional transformations has been formed, allowing to more accurately predict the vector of development of the national innovation system.