The effect of institutional proximity in non-local university–industry collaborations: An analysis based on Chinese patent data

Abstract

Based on Chinese patent data from 1985 to 2004, this study aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of formal university–industry collaborations in China, with a specific focus on the compound effect of geographic distance and other predictors. The results show that geographic distance is indeed an obstructive factor in achieving university–industry collaborations, as many previous studies have shown. However, proximities in other dimensions could intervene to attenuate that negative effect. The most salient finding is that central Ministries and local governments are two sources of institutional force that could impose or encourage university–industry collaborations without considering the geographic distance between them. The vertical and horizontal institutional proximities engendered by subordination to the same administrative unit significantly enhance the probability of collaboration, and those effects are more significant when the distance increases. Social proximity and university prestige, as verified by previous studies, could also help bring non-local academic and industrial partners together. However, when confronting with institutional interference that is of overarching importance in the Chinese context, these effects could decrease.