Given the increasing role of research and development (R&D) in competitive markets in the digital economy while confronting the dilemma between R&D expansion and a productivity decline, transformation of the R&D model has become a crucial subject for global digital leaders.

The authors of this paper postulate that neo open innovation harnessing the vigor of external innovation resources which then developed into a new concept of R&D that self-transforms during an R&D process initiated by Amazon by coupling with users.

The authors further develop these postulates by proposing the embedding of a growth characteristic identical to biological coupling.

An empirical analysis focusing on the forefront endeavors of global bioeconomy firms and also by Amazon was conducted.

A notable endeavor toward a circular economy initiated by its global leader UPM- Kymmene Corporation (UPM) demonstrated the significance of a coupling effect with downstream digital commerce leader Amazon. This effect can be attributed to harnessing the function of the growth characteristic identical to biological coupling through co-evolution of the dual coupling of bioeconomy and digitalization and of upstream and downstream operations.

This co-evolutionary coupling is expected to provide a novel concept of R&D that grows its function in a self-propagating way during the R&D process.

An insightful suggestion supporting to a novel concept of R&D in the digital economy is thus proposed.