Towards a conceptual framework for developing sustainable digital innovation hubs

As digitalization and smartification affect businesses of all kinds ever more profoundly, the growing concern is about how such opportunities can promote companies' productivity through improved and customized smart solutions and also costumer engagement. To meet these new requirements and engage in new collaborative initiatives, Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs), by leveraging digital technologies and benefiting of diverse minds inclusion, from one side help companies to become more competitive with regard to their business/production processes, products, or services, and from the other side allow end users to benefit from more customized products and services. To create long term value and exploit new commercial opportunities, DIHs ideally need to embrace sustainability and/or develop their sustainability strategies. On that basis, this study by taking into account the related studies and considering the major needs and goals of DIHs, proposes a conceptual framework contains five dimensions that can be used as guide for establishing and developing sustainable DIHs. The potential application of the proposed framework in some projects and active DIHs are discussed.