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Long abstract:

Structural change is accompanied by three challenging dynamics: exnovation, innovation and transformation. The special feature here is that these three processes should ideally be synchronized. However, empirical experience shows that this rarely happens. To the contrary, in most cases there is a focus on selective innovation processes seen to fuel best the ‘economic pump’. This strategy is easy to implement, but risky with regard to the possible outcomes for regional change.

Against this background, this paper will focus on a process of structural change that is currently taking place. Structural change in the Rhenish mining area. The subject matter is the different processes of infrastructuration taking place simultaneously in this context. The aim of the paper is twofold. On the one hand, a specific concept of innovation ecosystem is discussed in which the parallel development of infrastructures in the context of structural change and overarching transformation processes is examined and accentuated. On the other hand, a contrasting analysis is carried out on the basis of four selected innovation-exnovation fields in order to make the dynamics of infrastructuration visible in their interplay.