Sustainable technology evolution in innovation ecosystems: A regulatory framework for (non)-convergent technologies

Technological convergence is a critical driver of technological evolution and industrial transformation, yet, convergence also generates complex ethical, sustainability, and regulatory challenges that remain poorly understood and insufficiently theorized. This study advances a conceptual framework that explains the regulatory mechanisms shaping convergence and non-convergence dynamics across three ecosystem layers: components, products and applications, and support and infrastructure. By distinguishing these layers, the framework reveals how interdependent evolution can raise ethical, sustainability, and regulatory concerns at different levels. The study advances theory by (1) reconceptualizing convergence as a multi-layered phenomenon, (2) expanding analysis beyond appropriability indicators such as patents to include development-based mechanisms like licensing, (3) proposing a dual regulatory role in balancing innovation development and appropriation, and (4) showing how regulation conditions the effects of convergence and non-convergence on technological sustainability. • Develops a multi-layered conceptual framework explaining technology (non)-convergence in innovation ecosystems. • Reframes technology convergence and non-convergence as complementary dynamics rather than opposites. • Theorizes a dual role of regulation in balancing innovation development and appropriation in innovation ecosystems. • Shows how regulatory design conditions the effects of technology evolution on sustainable technology transitions. • Provides actionable managerial and policy insights on aligning IP strategies, standardization, and regulatory instruments.