Sustainability And Innovation: Exploring The Relationship Between Sustainability And Companies’ Engagement In Innovation Ecosystems In The German Engineering Industry: Exploring the Relationship between Sustainability and Companies' Engagement in Innovation Ecosystems in German Engineering Industry

This study identifies sustainable companies in the engineering industry in Germany and investigates their engagement in innovation ecosystems based on varying collaborative formats and transfer pathways. To this end, 200 medium and large companies were interviewed. For the analysis of the data, the study operationalised sustainability and identified sustainable companies based on responses concerning their environmental, social, and economic performance. These results were then cross-referenced with activities within innovation ecosystems. Results are consistent with the state of research and indicate that sustainable companies are more engaged in innovation ecosystems than non-sustainable companies. This suggests that companies considered sustainable are more likely to contribute to solving grand societal challenges through innovations. For engineering educators, it highlights the relevance to promote sustainability and innovation as part of engineering education and prepare students for cooperative and collaborative activities in their careers.