Megaprojects provide an ideal context for exploring the dynamic characteristics of stakeholders within a collaborative innovation system. This research aims to examine the changes in stakeholder salience and functional roles during the evolution of such a system.

This study is empirically grounded on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) megaproject in China, analyzed with the stakeholder salience, stakeholder functional role, stakeholder dynamics and collaborative innovation system theoretical lens.

The megaproject collaborative innovation system can be divided into four stages: the birth stage, development stage, mature stage and re-innovation stage. Stakeholder salience generally remains unchanged throughout the lifecycle of the collaborative innovation system, except for engineering consulting firms (ECF). ECF transitioned from a definitive stakeholder to an expectant stakeholder upon project completion. The number of definitive stakeholders during the first three stages increases gradually. Besides, stakeholder functional roles shift in eight different directions throughout the lifecycle of the megaproject collaborative innovation system because they possess different core resources necessary for implementing innovations and are positioned differently within the collaborative innovation system.

This study contributes to the theory and practice of collaborative innovation in megaprojects. First, it offers insights into the evolution of megaproject collaborative innovation systems from the perspective of stakeholder interactions. Second, it has significant implications for managing stakeholder relationships based on their salience and functional roles at different stages of the collaborative innovation system.