Deep-Tech Innovation: A Multi-Method Study toward a Conceptual Framework and Research Agenda

The term “deep-tech innovation” has attracted growing attention in research, policy, and practice, but it is applied inconsistently and lacks an agreed-upon definition. This limits cumulative knowledge building and blurs how deep-tech innovation relates to adjacent concepts. We address this gap by developing a framework that treats deep-tech innovation as a distinct object of inquiry. Using a multi-method design that combines a systematic, integrative, concept-centric literature review and semi-structured interviews with deep-tech founders, we identify twelve defining attributes structured across three levels: invention, venture, and ecosystem. At the invention level (the conceptual core), we specify six attributes: three foundational attributes that capture the scientific and technological basis of the invention, and three attributes that describe its characteristic exposure profile. The remaining six attributes capture recurring implications at the venture level (staged financing strategies, dual scientific and commercial maturation, and the multidisciplinary broadening of teams) and the ecosystem level (multi-actor interactions, specialized incubation support, and industrial de-risking and scaling partnerships). We use this framework to delineate the boundaries of deep-tech innovation, distinguish it from adjacent concepts, and propose an agenda for future research.