Development of a Framework for Inclusive Innovation: International Insights and Regional Perspectives

Background and Aims
Innovation has long been widely recognised as a key driver of productivity, economic growth, social well-being and environmental sustainability (Barrett and Dooley, 2025; Bianchi, et. al. 2010; Chesbrough, 2003; Hervas-Oliver et. al. 2010; European Commission, 2010). However, innovation is not only the result of scientific and technological breakthroughs, but also of the creative and collaborative efforts of diverse individuals and organisations. As noted by Robbins, 2023, a critical factor for successful innovation is people; the people who use their creativity to imagine and create new products and the people who bring them to life and, ultimately, to market (Weiss et al., 2022). The practice of innovation management is increasingly becoming recognised as a distinct profession and is distinguished from other forms of value creation (Hyland & Karlsson, 2021; Kahn, 2022). The European Academy of Management SIG on Innovation aims to support the evolution of an open, inclusive, international and cross-sectoral community of innovation scholars.
Inclusive innovation is the process of developing and implementing new solutions that address the needs and aspirations of a broad range of stakeholders (Chataway, et. al. 2014), especially those who are marginalised or underserved (Heeks, et. al. 2014).
To foster inclusive innovation, it is essential to develop and enhance the innovation competencies of individuals, teams, organisations, and ecosystems. It happens as part of the recognition of actors, institutions, and ecosystem, which allows the beneficiary of the innovation to be part of its design and application, in a manner commensurate with its capacity and resources (Bernardo Patiño-Valencia, et. al. 2022). Inclusive innovation seeks to improve people’s living conditions and create employment opportunities for the poor through the development of new products, services, processes, and business models to increase the resources of poor communities (UNDP, 2020). This research provides a greater understanding of the innovation skills landscape through a review of emerging international innovation competency frameworks through collaboration with ISO (Tidd, 2021; Davey and Brennan., 2022) and the views of key regional stakeholders.
This paper discusses the development of the Innovation Competency Framework for Inclusive Innovation (ICF) research project. The aim of the project was to provide a greater understanding of the innovation skills landscape through a review of contemporary international innovation competency frameworks and the views of key regional stakeholders in Northern Ireland. Additionally, this work supports the priorities in the Innovate UK (UKRI, 2024) report on Net Zero and the need for innovation skills development in industrial clusters.

Methodology
In phase 1 of this project research was undertaken to evaluate international best practice, existing models, frameworks, and analogous models to determine candidate set of skills and competency levels for sustainable innovation. The methodology adopted for this phase was a systematic literature review, a well-established approach for developing evidence-informed management knowledge (Tranfield et al. 2003) and is a key tool used across different academic disciplines such as sustainable development (Bianchi 2020).
The next phase of this research involved a qualitative approach to primary data collection through a real-time stakeholder engagement process consisting of focused workshops, and semi-structured interviews, to elicit the perspectives of representatives from academia, industry, government, and civil society in Northern Ireland. The focus group participation consisted of an invited group of representatives from a range of NI industries and sectors gathered to discuss and capture the key skills for innovation that they believe are required to drive forward the Northern Ireland economy. The cross-sectorial selection of participants was key to ensuring a balanced outlook, a total of 26 private or public sector organisation were represented at the focus group. The worksheet used in the workshop was designed to allow participants to differentiate between the relative importance of skills relating to innovation (from ISO56002), allowing prioritisation of skills development where gaps were identified.
In addition to the focused workshop, key individuals from the public and private sectors, policy makers, and those driving innovation at an industry level within Northern Ireland were selected for in-depth semi-structured interviews. The interviews took place in-person, or on-line, and were recorded to allow a more natural conversation to take place whilst a full transcription was created in the background for subsequent, detailed thematic analysis.

Initial Findings
These findings provide valuable insights and suggestions for areas where there is a need for the Northern Ireland government to support the development of innovation capability and capacity.
The types and levels of innovation identified from sector to sector were wide ranging. This confirms that the definition and importance of innovation is unique to each organisation, and is determined by their individual ambitions, access to resources, and appetite for risk. In addition to the specific requirements and skills for successful innovation, as identified by the participants some of the participants identified behaviours and mindsets that they felt were required or beneficial for innovation within their organisations. These were classed as ‘Innovation mindsets’ and included: being flexible and adaptable; an ability to navigate complexity: being open to being challenged and developing a strategic mindset.
Interestingly, the majority of participants believed that the skills required to manage successful innovation are the same skills required to address sustainability. This is supported by the work of Horvat et. al. 2025; stating that there is a need to consider the sustainability and resilience effects of the human-centric Industry 5.0 orientation from an innovation perspective.


Implications and Future Development
The knowledge emerging from this project will enhance the regional innovation ecosystem and will bring benefits on several levels including individual, organisational, and systems. The resulting innovation competency framework will provide a common language and shared reference for all interested parties, including academic, government and support agencies operating in the field of sustainable innovation, which in turn will be beneficial for collaboration, co-creation and knowledge sharing.
The implementation of this project will provide a useful reference to support the articulation, definition, and description of: Skills for the future of work aligned with Technology, Sector and Cluster priorities (Hobbs et. al. 2022; Matrix, 2023) ; Training and competence development programs, qualification frameworks, certification of persons (including certification schemes), and other relevant curricula; New career and learning paths, formal and non-formal, and continual professional development needs; Competence and skills gaps analysis at the individual, team, or organisational level.
As job roles within innovation are heavily dependent upon organisational structures and requirements, the standard will not specifically map skills to job roles but should be designed to provide a useful framework to allow the addition of innovation competency to the definition of jobs and roles within any organisation addressing wider economic priorities (Skilling, 2019 & 2022).
Longer term benefits of the development of an ISO standard for Innovation competency will include the creation of a model for innovation that can directly outline a set of skills relevant and approachable to emerging economies as they look to address environmental challenges.
The project is a significant step towards establishing a shared vision and language for innovation competencies in Northern Ireland and creating a culture of inclusive innovation that benefits all sections of society.
The business appetite for solutions that enable agile, sustainable business transformation has increased; innovation is essential for all organisations in an era of rapid global uncertainty, and this research has the potential to play a crucial role in growing the innovation skills ecosystem beyond the island of Ireland.