Duration: 1. 3. 2026 – 28. 2. 2028

Project title: Technology Adoption within Innovation Ecosystems under the Initiation Contingency: Understanding the Co-constitutiveness of Factors in Quantum Computing Adoption as an early-on technology (AdoptQC)

Project coordinator: Rudolfovo – Science and Technology Centre Novo mesto

Project leader at FIS: prof. dr. Biljana Mileva Boshkoska

Partners: Faculty of Information Studies in Novo mesto, Faculty of Applied Social Studies in Nova Gorica, University of Ljubljana – Faculty of Computer and Information Science

Project type: Research project

Brief description of the project:

The project aims to develop a new theoretical framework that integrates the literature on innovation ecosystems on the one hand and the literature on technology adoption on the other, with a focus on the initial phase of technology adoption. Such an approach enables a more comprehensive view of the factors influencing this phase, as it includes both macro- and micro-level determinants. By focusing on both levels, we also capture those factors that might otherwise be overlooked if only one of these perspectives were considered. The framework will be tested through the case of quantum computing adoption, which will enable the identification of configurational pathways for the early phases of technology adoption while also taking into account embeddedness in innovation ecosystems.

First, the project will shed light on the interplay of specific micro- and macro-level factors that contribute to the early phases of technology adoption, drawing insights from the technology adoption and innovation ecosystem literature. Next, it will focus on the initial adoption phase, which has been studied less frequently, thereby contributing to a gradual understanding of technology adoption—particularly for high-impact digital technologies. The project will also examine organizations, their responses and readiness for quantum computing, and their responsiveness to quantum-computing challenges, thus contributing to an understanding of technology diffusion dynamics and the roles of different actors in the emergence phase of innovation ecosystems. Finally, the project will develop a theoretically grounded model of technology adoption in innovation ecosystems, enabling the creation of future scenarios and facilitating the development of specific policy recommendations to promote the adoption of quantum computing.

The project is co-funded by: Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency