MAPPING THE INTELLECTUAL STRUCTURE OF OPEN INNOVATION IN SMEs: A BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS (2009–2025)

Abstract

This study provides a bibliometric analysis of research on open innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) over the period 2009–2025. Using a dataset of 500 journal articles indexed in the Web of Science, the study maps the field’s intellectual structure, publication trends, influential sources, leading authors, country productivity, collaboration patterns, and thematic evolution. The results show a steady growth in scientific production, particularly after 2017, indicating the increasing consolidation of open innovation in SMEs as a distinct research domain. The literature concentrates on a limited number of influential journals, especially Technovation and Technological Forecasting and Social Change, while a small group of highly cited publications forms the conceptual foundation of the field. Thematic analysis reveals that the field is primarily structured around open innovation, SMEs, performance, research and development, absorptive capacity, and knowledge. Thematic evolution further indicates a shift from foundational concerns related to firm performance, manufacturing, and strategy towards more recent interests in business models, eco-innovation, digitalization, and empirical contextualization.