Introduction to the Innovability Index: Beyond the fusion of innovation and sustainability

The integration of innovation and sustainability, conceptualized as innovability, represents a strategic construct for addressing global challenges such as climate change, resource constraints, and social inequality. The conceptual understanding of innovability has advanced, but its empirical measurement and operationalization remain underdeveloped. This conceptual paper introduces the Innovability Index, designed to evaluate the extent to which countries, regions, or organizations embed sustainability principles. The index encompasses four dimensions: technological innovation for sustainability, environmental sustainability, social inclusiveness, and sustainable business practices. Each dimension is assessed through a set of indicators normalized, weighted, and aggregated to generate a composite performance score. The Innovability Index provides a structured approach for benchmarking sustainable innovation capabilities. It is a practical tool for policymakers, firms, and researchers to align innovation ecosystems with sustainability imperatives and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This conceptual paper opens the thematic issue of innovability and sustainable innovation, as well as addresses a gap in the literature by introducing the initial attempt to measure innovability.