Every country aspires to build an innovation system that fuels growth, yet many find that the machinery sputters rather than accelerates. This chapter explores why domestic systems so often fall short of their promise. The narrative begins with the fragmented landscapes of science and industry, where universities, firms and policymakers operate in parallel but rarely in concert. Weak institutions and policy inconsistencies deepen these gaps, leaving strategies on paper that rarely translate in practice. In many transition economies, limited resources and unstable governance further constrain the ability to sustain long-term investments in knowledge and technology. The result is a system that looks complete in design but proves fragile in function. By weaving together examples of misaligned incentives, policy volatility and underdeveloped networks, the chapter reveals how domestic weaknesses are less about a lack of ambition than about structures that cannot support it, turning innovation systems into promises only partially fulfilled.