Infrastructure Platforms and Open Innovation Ecosystems: Spatial Evidence from the Low-Altitude Economy in an Emerging Market

This study examines whether and how physical–digital infrastructure platforms-conceptualized through the low-altitude economy (LAE)-function as coordination mechanisms within open innovation ecosystems. It addresses a key gap in open innovation research: the limited understanding of how infrastructure architectures shape ecosystem-level knowledge flows and spatial spillovers. Using a balanced panel of Vietnamese provinces, we construct a composite Low-Altitude Economy Index (LAEI) and estimate its relationship with innovation outcomes through complementary empirical strategies, including fixed effects, instrumental variables, dynamic GMM, and spatial econometric models. Mediation analysis is employed to examine mechanism-consistent pathways. LAEI is positively associated with regional innovation performance, with stable estimates across specifications. Spatial models reveal significant cross-provincial spillovers, indicating that infrastructure-enabled coordination extends beyond administrative boundaries. Mediation results suggest that startup formation, talent mobility, and data verifiability represent plausible transmission channels, accounting for a substantial share of the observed association. Heterogeneity analysis shows amplified effects in hub-designated provinces, consistent with complementarities between infrastructure completeness and pre-existing talent and capital agglomeration. The findings suggest that infrastructure is not merely an enabling condition but an active structuring force in open innovation ecosystems. By enhancing legibility, verifiability, and network connectivity, LAE platforms facilitate both local innovation and spatial diffusion. These results contribute to open innovation theory by identifying infrastructure architecture as an autonomous coordination mechanism and offer policy implications for ecosystem design in emerging markets. • Conceptualizes the low-altitude economy as a hybrid infrastructure platform integrating physical, digital, and regulatory layers • Provides spatial evidence on how infrastructure platforms shape innovation ecosystem coordination • Identifies spatial spillover patterns consistent with infrastructure-mediated knowledge diffusion • Shows heterogeneous ecosystem responses across hub and non-hub regions • Contributes to open innovation literature by linking infrastructure architecture to innovation system dynamics