Improving Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Management in Sustainability Era

Dear Colleagues,

The goal of this Special Issue is to compile high-quality contributions that deepen and advance understanding of the role of quality knowledge transfer and innovation management in the age of sustainability.

Addressing the 21st century challenges and megatrends we currently face in the real world, which affect many aspects of our lives, requires more sustainable, responsible and responsive solutions. Therefore, smart integration is needed that transcends the boundaries between traditional disciplines and the various stakeholders in education, business, and society. The proper interplay of social, economic, and natural environments guides the principles of sustainability through effective knowledge transfer and sustainable open innovation. The concepts of transformative learning, openness, and sustainability have gained popularity in recent academic literature. However, their combination, mutual exclusion and convergence, and potential for developing methods, strategies and policies for sustainable open innovative learning and fostering business ecosystems have not been fully explored.

Despite the rapid incorporation of artificial intelligence, learning analytics, and advanced digital education technology into knowledge construction and transfer, several researchers report shortcomings and deficiencies, such as the following: (1) a lack of durable innovation, (2) inadequacies in knowledge construction, leading to the emergence of pseudoscience, (3) a lack of development of higher-order thinking skills in education and training, (4) and fluctuating uncertainty and complexity in knowledge transfer patterns. Therefore, the knowledge-sharing behaviors inherent in the sustainability challenge of open innovation need to be drastically rethought and reconceptualized, in part because of the new demands on business ecosystems and because of the different stakeholders, barriers, and factors that might determine the most effective practices for increasing the likelihood of successfully addressing the sustainability problem. Thus, not all innovation leads to knowledge, especially at higher taxonomic levels, and only durable innovations that can be generalized across multiple domains and levels can generate new theories and new knowledge. Finally, when the paths of knowledge and innovation practically converge and interact, new technology can emerge. The emergence of open and enduring innovation could be strongly influenced by changes in our thinking about the essential importance of stakeholders' internal and external knowledge environments. Creating a divergence of mental models can enhance the transfer of team learning between stakeholders and increase the ability to absorb, multiply, and build relationships, especially if transformative learning is supported by innovative AI-driven solutions and the targeted use of digital technologies, which would further enhance the occurrence of spillover effects and interconnectedness between different stakeholders and their external environments.

This Special Issue welcomes contributions on innovations that improve the quality of the development and transfer of knowledge and skills or that can be used to develop knowledge at a higher level. Contributions with a wide range of epistemological, conceptual, and methodological backgrounds are expected to shed light on knowledge transfer and innovation learning in the context of sustainable development, filling a gap in the literature. Thus, the Special Issue also aims to promote theoretical and practical innovation and knowledge in a range of fields, including education, industry, business, science, and engineering.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Stanislav Avsec
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• knowledge transfer patterns
• knowledge sharing behaviors
• educational change
• sustainable open innovation
• knowledge transfer and innovation modeling
• transdisciplinary approach, systems thinking and transformative learning
• education for sustainable development
• multi-stage decision-making process
• knowledge-based technological capabilities