---
title: "SDG 9 Industry, innovation and infrastructure research"
description: "From 2017 to 2026 (so far), SDG 9 (Industry, innovation and infrastructure) was addressed by 71,451 papers in the tracked journals, most of them in operations research (23,569), economics (21,110) and management (9,958). It is #1 of the 17 goals by papers from 2023 to 2025 (28,873)."
url: https://scholar4ai.com/sdgs/9-industry-innovation-and-infrastructure
markdown_url: https://scholar4ai.com/sdgs/9-industry-innovation-and-infrastructure.md
license: CC BY-NC 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)
share_text: "From 2017 to 2026 (so far), SDG 9 (Industry, innovation and infrastructure) was addressed by 71,451 papers in the tracked journals, most of them in operations research (23,569), economics (21,110) and management (9,958). (as of 2026-10-31)"
data_url: https://scholar4ai.com/data/rankings.json
updated: 2026-10-31T17:45:59+09:00
window: 2026-10-02 to 2026-10-31
source: OpenAlex (CC0)
---

# SDG 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Papers in the tracked journals on UN Sustainable Development Goal 9, Industry, innovation and infrastructure. OpenAlex assigns a paper to each UN Sustainable Development Goal that its classifier scores above 0.4 from the paper's text; a paper can belong to several goals or to none.

All 17 goals: https://scholar4ai.com/rankings/sdgs.md

## Key findings

- From 2017 to 2026 (so far), SDG 9 (Industry, innovation and infrastructure) was addressed by 71,451 papers in the tracked journals, most of them in operations research (23,569), economics (21,110) and management (9,958).
- It is #1 of the 17 goals by papers from 2023 to 2025 (28,873).
- 11,422 of them were published in 2025, against 4,217 in 2017.
- Since 2023, the institutions with the most of these papers were Hong Kong Polytechnic University (861), Beijing Jiaotong University (617) and Tongji University (529).
- The journals publishing most of them were Expert Systems with Applications (2,493), Computers & Industrial Engineering (1,957) and Finance research letters (1,511).
- The most-cited of them is “Understanding digital transformation: A review and a research agenda” (The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 2019), with 7,304 citations.

## Papers per year

*Papers per publication year and category*

| Category | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 (so far) |
|---|---:|---:|---:|---:|---:|---:|---:|---:|---:|---:|
| [Operations Research](https://scholar4ai.com/categories/operations-research.md) | 1,554 | 1,737 | 1,808 | 1,877 | 2,234 | 2,505 | 2,482 | 2,893 | 3,329 | 3,150 |
| [Economics](https://scholar4ai.com/categories/economics.md) | 1,496 | 1,607 | 1,546 | 1,860 | 1,907 | 1,926 | 2,423 | 2,624 | 2,963 | 2,758 |
| [Management](https://scholar4ai.com/categories/management.md) | 564 | 627 | 655 | 838 | 1,101 | 1,191 | 1,188 | 1,223 | 1,293 | 1,278 |
| [AI](https://scholar4ai.com/categories/ai.md) | 198 | 224 | 275 | 375 | 585 | 892 | 1,031 | 1,233 | 1,603 | 1,203 |
| [Finance](https://scholar4ai.com/categories/finance.md) | 93 | 61 | 79 | 131 | 154 | 219 | 445 | 941 | 1,632 | 1,126 |
| [Information Systems](https://scholar4ai.com/categories/information-systems.md) | 152 | 159 | 183 | 209 | 246 | 262 | 231 | 342 | 370 | 314 |
| [Marketing](https://scholar4ai.com/categories/marketing.md) | 41 | 33 | 56 | 67 | 70 | 68 | 59 | 80 | 56 | 40 |
| [Higher Education and Research](https://scholar4ai.com/categories/higher-education-and-research.md) | 69 | 35 | 49 | 49 | 58 | 51 | 37 | 78 | 68 | 75 |
| [Tourism and Hospitality](https://scholar4ai.com/categories/tourism-and-hospitality.md) | 23 | 27 | 34 | 34 | 28 | 30 | 27 | 42 | 51 | 43 |
| [Health Economics and Policy](https://scholar4ai.com/categories/health-economics-and-policy.md) | 17 | 17 | 13 | 20 | 26 | 18 | 22 | 15 | 30 | 36 |
| [Accounting](https://scholar4ai.com/categories/accounting.md) | 8 | 3 | 12 | 6 | 9 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 25 | 35 |
| [Statistics](https://scholar4ai.com/categories/statistics.md) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| All categories | 4,217 | 4,531 | 4,711 | 5,467 | 6,424 | 7,169 | 7,960 | 9,491 | 11,422 | 10,059 |

## Where the papers come from

*Journals with the most papers, since 2023*

| # | Journal | Papers |
|---:|---|---:|
| 1 | [Expert Systems with Applications](https://scholar4ai.com/journals/expert-systems-with-applications.md) | 2,493 |
| 2 | [Computers & Industrial Engineering](https://scholar4ai.com/journals/computers-industrial-engineering.md) | 1,957 |
| 3 | [Finance research letters](https://scholar4ai.com/journals/finance-research-letters.md) | 1,511 |
| 4 | [Transportation Research Part E Logistics and Transportation Review](https://scholar4ai.com/journals/transportation-research-part-e-logistics-and-transportation-review.md) | 1,422 |
| 5 | [Transportation Research Part C Emerging Technologies](https://scholar4ai.com/journals/transportation-research-part-c-emerging-technologies.md) | 1,265 |
| 6 | [Energy Economics](https://scholar4ai.com/journals/energy-economics.md) | 1,210 |
| 7 | [Technological Forecasting and Social Change](https://scholar4ai.com/journals/technological-forecasting-and-social-change.md) | 1,177 |
| 8 | [Energy Policy](https://scholar4ai.com/journals/energy-policy.md) | 1,060 |
| 9 | [Resources Policy](https://scholar4ai.com/journals/resources-policy.md) | 1,041 |
| 10 | [International Review of Economics & Finance](https://scholar4ai.com/journals/international-review-of-economics-finance.md) | 1,010 |

*Institutions with the most papers, since 2023*

| # | Institution | Papers |
|---:|---|---:|
| 1 | [Hong Kong Polytechnic University](https://scholar4ai.com/institutions/hong-kong-polytechnic-university.md) | 861 |
| 2 | [Beijing Jiaotong University](https://scholar4ai.com/institutions/beijing-jiaotong-university.md) | 617 |
| 3 | [Tongji University](https://scholar4ai.com/institutions/tongji-university.md) | 529 |
| 4 | [Tsinghua University](https://scholar4ai.com/institutions/tsinghua-university.md) | 510 |
| 5 | [Southeast University](https://scholar4ai.com/institutions/southeast-university.md) | 486 |
| 6 | [Xi'an Jiaotong University](https://scholar4ai.com/institutions/xi-an-jiaotong-university.md) | 414 |
| 7 | [Zhejiang University](https://scholar4ai.com/institutions/zhejiang-university.md) | 413 |
| 8 | [Beijing Institute of Technology](https://scholar4ai.com/institutions/beijing-institute-of-technology.md) | 377 |
| 9 | Southwest Jiaotong University | 368 |
| 10 | [Wuhan University](https://scholar4ai.com/institutions/wuhan-university.md) | 362 |

*Countries with the most papers, since 2023*

| # | Country | Papers |
|---:|---|---:|
| 1 | China | 18,322 |
| 2 | United States | 4,295 |
| 3 | United Kingdom | 3,247 |
| 4 | India | 1,971 |
| 5 | Italy | 1,823 |
| 6 | Australia | 1,696 |
| 7 | Germany | 1,629 |
| 8 | France | 1,542 |
| 9 | Hong Kong | 1,538 |
| 10 | Canada | 1,205 |

*Keywords with the most papers, since 2023*

| # | Keyword | Papers |
|---:|---|---:|
| 1 | [China](https://scholar4ai.com/keywords/china.md) | 2,932 |
| 2 | [digital transformation](https://scholar4ai.com/keywords/digital-transformation.md) | 1,444 |
| 3 | [Chinese listed companies](https://scholar4ai.com/keywords/chinese-listed-companies.md) | 1,320 |
| 4 | [green innovation](https://scholar4ai.com/keywords/green-innovation.md) | 1,094 |
| 5 | [financial constraints](https://scholar4ai.com/keywords/financial-constraints.md) | 1,062 |
| 6 | state-owned enterprises | 1,045 |
| 7 | [CO2 emissions](https://scholar4ai.com/keywords/co2-emissions.md) | 1,044 |
| 8 | regional heterogeneity | 925 |
| 9 | small and medium-sized enterprises | 809 |
| 10 | [mixed-integer linear programming](https://scholar4ai.com/keywords/mixed-integer-linear-programming.md) | 786 |

## Most-cited papers

*Most-cited papers since 2017*

| # | Citations | Per month | Title | Journal | Published | Authors |
|---:|---:|---:|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7,304 | 78.8 | [Understanding digital transformation: A review and a research agenda](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsis.2019.01.003) | [The Journal of Strategic Information Systems](https://scholar4ai.com/journals/the-journal-of-strategic-information-systems.md) | 2019-02-10 | Grégory Vial |
| 2 | 4,594 | 53.3 | [Artificial Intelligence (AI): Multidisciplinary perspectives on emerging challenges, opportunities, and agenda for research, practice and policy](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2019.08.002) | [International Journal of Information Management](https://scholar4ai.com/journals/international-journal-of-information-management.md) | 2019-08-27 | Yogesh Kumar Dwivedi, Laurie Hughes, Elvira Ismagilova et al. |
| 3 | 3,512 | 37.2 | [Building dynamic capabilities for digital transformation: An ongoing process of strategic renewal](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2018.12.001) | [Long Range Planning](https://scholar4ai.com/journals/long-range-planning.md) | 2018-12-19 | Karl Warner, Maximilian Wäger |
| 4 | 2,953 | 31.5 | [Industry 4.0 technologies: Implementation patterns in manufacturing companies](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2019.01.004) | [International Journal of Production Economics](https://scholar4ai.com/journals/international-journal-of-production-economics.md) | 2019-01-09 | Alejandro Germán Frank, Lucas Santos Dalenogare, Néstor Fabián Ayala |
| 5 | 2,764 | 30.4 | [The digital transformation of innovation and entrepreneurship: Progress, challenges and key themes](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2019.03.018) | [Research Policy](https://scholar4ai.com/journals/research-policy.md) | 2019-04-05 | Satish Nambisan, Mike Wright, Maryann P. Feldman |
| 6 | 2,576 | 27.0 | [A systematic literature review of blockchain-based applications: Current status, classification and open issues](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2018.11.006) | [Telematics and Informatics](https://scholar4ai.com/journals/telematics-and-informatics.md) | 2018-11-22 | Fran Casino, Thomas K. Dasaklis, Constantinos Patsakis |
| 7 | 2,278 | 28.7 | [Predicting the impacts of epidemic outbreaks on global supply chains: A simulation-based analysis on the coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2) case](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tre.2020.101922) | [Transportation Research Part E Logistics and Transportation Review](https://scholar4ai.com/journals/transportation-research-part-e-logistics-and-transportation-review.md) | 2020-03-24 | Dmitry Ivanov |
| 8 | 2,199 | 22.4 | [The expected contribution of Industry 4.0 technologies for industrial performance](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2018.08.019) | [International Journal of Production Economics](https://scholar4ai.com/journals/international-journal-of-production-economics.md) | 2018-08-20 | Lucas Santos Dalenogare, Guilherme Brittes Benitez, Néstor Fabián Ayala et al. |
| 9 | 2,150 | 20.2 | [1 Blockchain’s roles in meeting key supply chain management objectives](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2017.12.005) | [International Journal of Information Management](https://scholar4ai.com/journals/international-journal-of-information-management.md) | 2017-12-12 | Nir Kshetri |
| 10 | 2,120 | 25.2 | [Green innovation and environmental performance: The role of green transformational leadership and green human resource management](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2019.119762) | [Technological Forecasting and Social Change](https://scholar4ai.com/journals/technological-forecasting-and-social-change.md) | 2019-11-01 | Sanjay Kumar Singh, Manlio Del Giudice, Roberto Chierici et al. |

## Cite this page

Scholar4AI. (2026). SDG 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure. Journal Research Rankings. Retrieved October 31, 2026, from https://scholar4ai.com/sdgs/9-industry-innovation-and-infrastructure

```bibtex
@misc{scholar4ai-sdgs-9-industry-innovation-and-infrastructure,
  author = {{Scholar4AI}},
  title = {SDG 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://scholar4ai.com/sdgs/9-industry-innovation-and-infrastructure}},
  urldate = {2026-10-31},
  note = {Journal Research Rankings; data from OpenAlex (CC0); licensed CC BY-NC 4.0}
}
```

License: CC BY-NC 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).