Bridging innovation strategies and intellectual property: A systematic review-based conceptual framework and a roadmap for future research

Understanding the connection between innovation strategies and intellectual property (IP) is crucial for academia, policymakers, and managers. This topic has gained interest from the scientific community. However, the literature is fragmented and dispersed due to increasing knowledge, and earlier literature reviews do not provide a holistic assessment of the existing research on how innovation strategies are connected to IP. This study aims to address this gap by answering the following questions: What is the status of the art on innovation strategies and IP regarding theoretical and methodological approaches, contextual elements, and key research themes? How can this research be advanced and developed further? To this purpose, we undertake a comprehensive review and synthesis of existing knowledge in this field based on the content analysis of 144 articles indexed in the Web of Science database. Findings indicate that (i) the knowledge-based and resource-based views are the main theoretical foundations, (ii) the empirical-quantitative approach is the main methodology, (iii) the Asian, European, and North American countries are the main geographical scopes explored, and (iv) there are six major research themes addressing innovation strategies, IP protection mechanisms, determinants of innovation strategies and IP, learning and knowledge, interorganizational collaboration, and value creation and appropriation outcomes. Therefore, this study contributes to the literature on innovation and IP strategies by systematically reviewing and analyzing the existing knowledge, proposing an integrative framework highlighting the interconnections among the major research themes, and setting a roadmap for future research.