How Can Innovation Systems be Sustainable? An Approach for Organizations in Times of Crises, Alongside Economic and Information Technology Issues

Although information technology is widely considered in innovation processes, environmental, social, and political issues are commonly neglected in times of crisis. This is especially unwelcome since these issues require scarce time and resources due to the instability and vulnerability of organizations in these times. When treated in terms of Innovation Systems (IS), these issues culminate in dedicated IS (DIS) to sustainability. This article presents the theoretical foundations of DIS through a Systematic Literature Review (RSL) based on the Templier and Pare protocol, which analyzed 44 studies. This study examines how DIS behaves to meet environmental, social, political, and economic aspects in crisis times. The results reveal a predominance of governmental institutions as protagonists in promoting IS in times of crisis. We also observed recurrent cooperation between different actors, demonstrating the importance of partnerships. Our study fosters discussion on the behavior of IS dedicated to sustainability in times of crisis and highlights the main elements of their functioning. Finally, this paper provides a research agenda for future studies.