Incumbent companies in emerging sustainable innovation ecosystems: implications for resilience

The ways in which incumbent companies shape the formation of sustainable innovation ecosystems and contribute to resilience under conditions of increasing complexity remain insufficiently understood. This paper examines the role of incumbent companies in the set-up of sustainable innovation ecosystems and analyses how key ecosystem characteristics affect multiple dimensions of resilience. Drawing on an embedded multiple case study of green hydrogen in heavy-duty road transport in Germany, the findings show that incumbents act as ecosystem architects rather than passive participants. They actively drive ecosystem formation through joint ventures, supplier-side infrastructure investments, customer overrepresentation, and focal actor exclusion. These design choices strengthen resilience by enhancing structural stability and resource capacity. However, they also introduce trade-offs by limiting adaptability and transformational potential, particularly through the absence of start-ups. The study provides empirical and conceptual insights into incumbent-driven ecosystem formation and resilience in sustainability transitions.