Digital Ecosystems Adoption at Local Level: A Preliminary Comparative Analysis

Abstract

This article focuses on the process of Digital Ecosystem adoption at territorial level. We present our views on the European approach to Digital Ecosystem. We try to define the process of DE territorial adoption as it has been modeled in last years. We carried out a preliminary analysis of ongoing comparative research about DE adoption and described the methodology used in the research process. With reference to the research preliminary data, we project how and to what extend the theoretical model of DE adoption elaborated in DBE and OPAALS projects and has been adapted and used at local level. The territorial process described here is introducing DE in different industrial sectors and originate from very diverse socio-economic situations. For this reason, interviewers are introducing DE at local level by adapting the DBE model to local needs. A preliminary analysis of these strategies and of actors involved in the process is presented. A first gaze on the technological side of DE adoption in term of infrastructure used and service developed is also provided. From the analysis, we indicate steps for future research and delineate those open questions that deserve a deeper analysis in the near future.