Development Of Innovation Networks Research Articles

Understanding the Cooperative Behavior Between Body of Production and Research Alliances Based on Games and Network

In the process of creation, innovation subjects spontaneously form a technological innovation network by cooperation and sharing knowledge and resources. The data of patent joint applications can reflect the cooperation and interaction between innovation subjects, so the patent technological innovation network, patent cooperation network (PCN), can be constructed based on the data. The willingness of technological innovation subjects to continue cooperation directly affects the sustainable development of innovation networks. Considering the inequality of resources between enterprises and research institutions, a new game model is established, and the influence of various factors on the evolutionary game process is analyzed. And it is applied to the weighted directed patent technology innovation network. When the patent promoter has paid the project startup fund or salary to other patent institutions that accept the invitation and can obtain government subsidies, a higher proportion of patent excess income and government subsidies will be allocated to the outgoing nodes, which will enable them to have greater patent cooperation and R&D motivation; When the excess revenue of patents can be equally distributed, even if a small amount of salary or project startup fund is paid to the inbound nodes, the cooperation between them can be promoted. The government reduces the burden on R&D institutions by providing subsidies and incentive funds, but government subsidies can promote cooperation even if they are small.

Exploring the Polycentric Structure and Driving Mechanism of Urban Regions From the Perspective of Innovation Network

Polycentric city-regional development has become a buzzword for urban scholars and planners around the world. Inspired by the two critical characteristics of the polycentric urban region (PUR) as incubators and hinges of knowledge production, this study revealed the evolution of the polycentric structure and driving mechanism of PUR from the perspective of innovation network by using unique inter-city patent cooperation data. The results show that: 1) The innovation networks exhibit hierarchical and uneven characteristics, with the economic core cities becoming incubators and hinges of innovation and dominating the development of innovation networks. 2) There is compatibility between morphological polycentricity and functional polycentricity in PURs, but there are also differences. Although the morphological polycentricity of three PURs has improved, functional polycentricity is underdeveloped. 3) The geographic, institutional, institutional, and cultural proximity play the facilitating role for inter-city knowledge flows and their polycentric enhancement, but city attributes such as population size have a lower impact. Our study is believed to renew the knowledge polycentricity conceptualization and enlighten the evolution of innovation network.

State Policy Regimes and Associational Roles in Technology Development: A Tale of Two Metropolises

The lead trade associations of the bio-pharma and semiconductor industries have differed systematically in their roles in facilitating the development of innovation networks between Shanghai and Shenzhen, two prominent high-tech metropolises in China. Divergent associational roles stem from variations in the regional state policy regime that has exerted differential shaping influence on the structure of social cleavages and strength of reciprocity norms among member firms and on their willingness to actively and cooperatively engage in association-led networking activities. The bio-pharma and semiconductor associations whose network-building roles have been structured differently through varied state policy regimes have displayed dissimilar abilities to reduce network failures and promote the innovation competences of their member firms between the two metropolises. The empirical findings of the article carry important implications for understanding the causes and consequences of varied associational roles in the process of technology development in China, other emerging markets, and beyond.

Changes in the social and technological innovation potential of the Visegrad (V4) regions (2001–2019)

For more than a century, technical progress and innovation have been at the forefront of economics. This is one of the reasons why the importance of innovation has been recognised by economic policy makers and the concept has become part of the public narrative. However, this does not mean that research has come to an end, which would in any case contradict Schumpeter's theory of the need for change and renewal. Despite the wealth of knowledge we have, we can state that there are a number of recurring (e.g. social and ethical aspects of innovation, etc.) and new (e.g. spill-over effects of innovation, the effectiveness of public intervention in supporting the development of innovation networks, etc.) questions that can be asked about innovation. In the aftermath of the financial crisis of 2008, the cyclical COVID crisis starting in 2019 and, not least, the Russian-Ukrainian war, the peripheral regions of the post-socialist countries of Europe are falling further behind. Research, development and innovation investment, already extremely low, has further declined and the economic outlook has worsened. Social innovation may therefore be of particular importance in these regions. Our study has two main parts. First, we briefly review the place and role of innovation in economic thinking and assess the definitions of social innovation; in the second part we analyse the differences in the NUTS2 regions of the Visegrad countries in terms of the ranking of technological and social innovation potential.

The Impact of Interplay Between Formal and Informal Institutions on the Development of Innovation Networks: A Comparative Study of CEECs

The aim of this paper is to present the results of comparative case study research concerning the impact of the interplay between formal and informal institutions on the development of innovation networks of the Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs). The primary contribution this article makes is to link the literature on the interplay between institutions related to innovation networks in a broad range of economies in transition like CEECs. This paper provides an understanding of how interplay between these institutions may influence the development of innovation networks of CEECs. Practical policy recommendations are to introduce a risk guarantee mechanism, which may promote the innovation process at different levels and influence the development of innovation networks later.

Invulnerability in innovation networks: the importance of technology cluster coupling and network centralization

ABSTRACT The high fragility and failure rate of technological innovation networks prevent firms and industries from successfully developing innovation capacity and competitiveness. This study offers a network perspective on how technology cluster coupling reinforces innovation network invulnerability. By using 142 patent citation networks from the renewable energy industry, we conduct patent citation network and regression analyses of a mediating model. The results show that network centralisation plays a partly negative mediating role in the positive relationship between technology cluster coupling and innovation network invulnerability. This study enriches the antecedent study of innovation network invulnerability by expanding interactions from the individual-level to the community-level and contributes to the internal mechanisms of technology cluster coupling and network invulnerability by emphasising the critical role of network centralisation. Our findings offer implications for policy makers who seek to govern technology clusters aimed at strengthening the steady development of innovation networks.

Hierarchical Characteristics and Proximity Mechanism of Intercity Innovation Networks: A Case of 290 Cities in China

The formation mechanism of innovation networks is one of the core issues in the current research of innovation networks, and proximity plays an important role in the formation and development of innovation networks; however, which proximity is more important and how different proximities interact remain to be further researched. This study conducts a social network analysis and adopts a spatial interaction model to examine innovation networks among 290 Chinese cities. The results reveal that, first, the hierarchical characteristics of Chinese cities’ innovation networks reflect a core periphery structure and the spatial patterns of large dispersion and small agglomeration. Further, bound by the Hu line, the hierarchy is high in the east and low in the west. Second, geographical, institutional, and cognitive proximities positively affect Chinese cities’ innovation networking. Cognitive proximity, particularly, has the highest impact. Geographical proximity reinforces the effect of institutional proximity, and thus, their interactions are complementary.

Who drives green innovations? Characteristics and policy implications for green building collaborative innovation networks in China

The delivery of green buildings, as a good approach for reducing energy consumption, has yielded lots of innovative outcomes. The need to spark effective innovations has become crucial. Yet, there has been no systematic examination of the green buildings field. This study provides a novel network-based and longitudinal perspective for examining the innovative collaboration of different types of organizations. Secondary data were collected from 223 projects receiving Green Building Innovation Awards (GBIA) in China. By using the social network analysis (SNA) method, the following results were obtained. First, collaborative networks of green-building innovation exhibit a salient feature of being scale-free, indicating a trend of path dependence in partner selections. Second, compared with the degree and closeness centrality, the betweenness centrality of those core organizations is growing faster over time. Unexpectedly, consulting enterprises, rather than design institutes or universities, are inclined to act as “bridges” during the innovative collaboration process. Thirdly, the average number of collaborations per GBIA organization is similar to that of theoretical disciplines (e.g., mathematics) but lower than that of experimental disciplines (e.g., medicine). With decreases in transitivity over time, the heterogeneity of networks has increased and the connections among different organizations are relying more on a few key enterprises or institutions. On this basis, a policy framework is presented that incorporates four governance strategies: “deactivation,” “framing,” “mobilizing,” and “synthesizing.” The findings shed new light on the development of innovation networks and the alignment of strategic decision-makings to facilitate the transformation of energy consumption in the built environment.

Development of labor potential in the context of digitalization of the Russian economy

The article is devoted to the study of theoretical and practical aspects of the transformation of labor potential and staffing in the process of formation of the digital economy. The authors identified the professional and user areas of application of digital technologies, substantiated their relationship with organizational and managerial innovations. The prerequisites for the widespread dissemination of information and communication technologies and the development of innovative networks are substantiated.

Conceptual issues of innovation networks digitalization

The relevance of the research topic is due to the need to solve the problem of developing conceptual issues of digital transformation management in the context of innovation trends, taking into account the overarching impact and large-scale prospects of digitalization processes. The paper deals with the analysis of the digital aspects of innovation policy, in particular, based on the use of international rankings, the definition of features of building the digital component of innovation networks and the deepening of scientific and methodological approaches to digital support of innovation processes. An overview of modern scientific and methodological approaches to defining the impact of digital transformation on innovation process is presented. Digital transformation can be seen as a factor in access to information and new opportunities that can improve technological capabilities. To assess the impact of digitalization on the development of innovation processes, the data of the Global Innovation Index and the ICT Development Index were used. Based on results of calculations, significant values of the positive correlation with the key components of the innovation system and the level of cluster development were obtained. The study identifies marketing, communication, infrastructural, international dimensions of digitalization of innovation processes. It is shown that the increasing availability of ICTs necessitates a timely rethinking of many processes in the innovation sphere. On the basis of world experience, the role of universities has been substantiated, which should take on a significant part of the responsibility for the formation of a new technological order through improving the quality of researches and their results’ introduction into the real economy within the framework of S2B-B2S networks (Scіence-to-Busіness – Busіness-to-Scіence). As a result of the study, the conclusion is substantiated that an integrated approach to the creation of digital innovation ecosystems requires the study of both institutions and participants, their interaction networks, the specifics of the environment, resources, technologies, etc. It is proposed to consider the role of ICTs in the development of innovation networks on the basis of combining such modern approaches to the development of innovations, in particular – multidisciplinary engineering analysis, system design methodology and parallel engineering methodology. The analysis and deepening of scientific and methodological approaches to the digital support of innovation processes made it possible to identify other promising areas of digitalization of innovation processes, for example, within the framework of the activities of public authorities that ensure the introduction of electronic government technologies.

Innovation network economic model of new energy automobile industry based on social network perspective

Under the background of economic globalization, market integration, technology cross penetration, industry boundary and enterprise boundary increasingly blurred, the uncertainty of innovation and the limitation of single innovation subject's resource endowment lead to the independent innovation unable to meet the needs of enterprises to obtain sustainable competitive advantage. How to evaluate the industry university research innovation of these industries has become a very necessary research content. According to the social network attribute of the Institute of new energy automobile industry, this paper proposes to analyze and study its innovation network from the perspective of social network. Based on the analysis of the relevant theories and research methods of social network, this paper constructs the evaluation model of the innovation network of the new energy automobile industry, and then validates the model through experiments. The experimental results show that the automobile industry in the north of China has different advantages in the innovation network of the industry, learning and research. The three embeddedness relationships among regions are positively correlated with the production university research network of new energy vehicles, which plays a positive role in promoting the development of innovation network. It is hoped that the research can provide innovation for the industry, learning and research. The development of network provides some reference.

Brokers and Saboteurs: Actor Roles in Destination Innovation Network Development

ABSTRACT In many tourist destinations, innovation network development is complicated because relevant actors have divergent interests with respect to destination development. This article reports a longitudinal case study of a destination innovation network within a small tourist destination. The network in question formed in spite of fierce conflict between destination actors. The article illustrates how different network actor roles make innovation network development possible, and how other roles make it troublesome. The findings emphasise how the right mix, timing, and interplay of various actor roles is crucial for innovation network building in conflict-dominated tourist destinations.

Explaining the past, predicting the future: the influence of regional trajectories on innovation networks of new industries in emerging economies

ABSTRACT Economic geographers have recently made important contributions to understanding of the relationship between regional transformation, industrial specialisation and innovation networks in the emergence of new industries. However, most contemporary research has focused on the influence of networks on regional trajectories, paying lip service to how regional trajectories also influence network configurations. Furthermore, international comparative research on how specific regional innovation system (RIS) trajectories may shape innovation networks in new industrial sectors is underdeveloped. The paper investigates how the trajectories of Bangalore and Beijing RISs influence the objectives and geographical configuration of innovation networks in the new media industry. The co-evolution of different elements of the RIS trajectory points to the unfolding of a politically and institutionally driven trajectory in Beijing, and a cognitively driven trajectory in Bangalore. These trajectories lead to specific barriers and opportunities for the development of innovation networks in new industries.

Integrated care for mentally ill offenders in Belgium: an analysis of a mandated collaboration

Background : In 2016 The Belgian government launched a Masterplan to improve healthcare for Mentally Ill Offenders (MIO). The Plan aims at improving collaboration between different organizations to guarantee integrated healthcare trajectories. The core question of this contribution is to assess to what extent the policy framework and guidance facilitates or hampers the implementation of collaboration and integrated care for MIO’s. Methods : Qualitative data were collected using document analysis of the Reform program and semi structured interviews with representatives of hospitals, justice houses and regional coordinators. Data-analysis was done with a continuous comparative method of coding and analysis including researcher triangulation. Results : The Masterplan, the general reference text on the Reform, mandates locoregional steering groups to implement the reform. These groups are supported by formally appointed and funded regional coordinators. Locoregional actors get leeway to implement the reform within the overall framework. The interviews learn that intersectoral collaborations are needed to tackle problems on offering healthcare for MIO. Implementation problems emerge from the heterogeneous composition of steering groups and diverging interests, power struggles and differences in culture. Some participating organizations focus on forensic thinking while others have a broader overall mental health care approach. The steering groups need to find a balance between mutual interdependence and organizational interests. Historical partnerships versus integrating new services in this MIO-field challenge the definition of common goals and working practices. Moreover participating organizations are represented by different professional backgrounds (managers vs clinical professionals) which affects the view on the problem and collaboration. At last, the interactions are affected by the regulations of the partners from different policy sectors. Discussion : Heterogeneity and complexity challenges collaboration. Policy implementation networks need learning time and mutual adaptations in order to become sustainable. The experiences drawn from the Belgian MIO field converge with findings in network literature, but vary because of the particular MIO field characteristics in Belgium. Conclusion : The choice of the Belgian government to initiate locoregional mandated heterogeneous networks is a potentially useful tool to tackle the complex problem of integrated care for MIO. However because of this heterogeneity governance questions are undervalued. Limitations : This implementation study relies on an inventory of experiences of an ongoing change process. The collaborative networks have not matured yet. Therefore we could not yet address the issue of the life circle of a reform program and the maturing of networks. Suggestions for further research : Further research is needed on steering mechanisms. It currently lacks research on how facilitating instruments like coaching sessions, exchange programs etc. could support the development of innovative networks aiming at integration of care.

Dynamics of innovation network journeys: phases and crossroads in seven regional innovation networks

ABSTRACTThere is a growing body of research on network driven innovation. Based on seven case studies of regional innovation networks in tourism, this paper aims to develop a better understanding of the dynamics of their development. While innovation research emphasizes the complexity of the innovation process and its cyclic and iterative nature, network research describes the development of innovation networks mainly based on linear models. Inspired by Van de Ven, Polley, Garud, and Venkataraman’s [1999. The innovation journey. New York, NY: Oxford University Press] metaphor of a “journey”, this article develops the concept of the “innovation network journey” to describe both the designed and emergent development of networks working with innovation. The development processes are categorized into phases that may be repeated throughout the network lifespan, and crossroads that lead to the changed pace or path of the network journey. The paper contributes to the existing literature by new knowledge about how crossroads can be a part of the network journey and four main critical factors leading to crossroads, namely financing, management, organizing and shared activities.

Innovation in the bioeconomy – dynamics of biorefinery innovation networks

ABSTRACTThe bioeconomy has become a central concept in many strategies for future economic development, emphasising an increasing need for collaboration across industries and sectors for innovation. This paper unpacks aspects of collaboration in the bioeconomy by looking at the development of innovation networks for biorefinery technologies from 2004 to 2014 based on innovation project data from Swedish public funding agencies using a stochastic actor-oriented model for network analysis. The analysis shows that although the network grew significantly during the time period, indicating an increasing interest in biorefinery technology innovation, inter-sectoral collaboration is not favoured over intra-sectoral collaboration. As is known from previous work on social networks trust-building is a key driver for collaboration, as actors tend to form collaborations with previous partners or indirectly connected partners, creating clustered networks.

Innovation policies in the Mediterranean area: Towards a Mediterranean system of innovation

The contribution of this paper has both theoretical and policy relevance. It is one of the first exploratory studies of the Mediterranean system of innovation built on the concept of innovation systems. The paper provides a brief literature review and discussion of some data on innovation and research studies in the Mediterranean area. Our analysis suggests that a Mediterranean research and innovation community, capable of competing and integrating itself at a global level, still needs to be developed. Building successful knowledge networks across the region and a cooperative innovation system that could improve the competitiveness of the overall area have become important targets, since Mediterranean countries have to compete internationally. In this context, after exploring the situation of the area and the main theoretical approaches to the topic, this paper shows that the contribution of the European policies for the development of innovation networks in the Mediterranean moves toward a Mediterranean system of innovation.

Spin-off as an indicator of regional innovation network development

It is not easy to design an appropriate indicator of network collaboration that is relevant and comparable to all regions of the Russian Federation. This is a challenge because the creation of high-tech start-ups requires the cooperation of various and heterogeneous stakeholders: inventor, entrepreneur, investor, and the university. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to test the following hypothesis: the greater the number of viable spin-offs in the region, the higher the level of innovative activity of the region. The object of analysis is Russian spin-offs, which were created during the period from August 2009 to May 2014. Using their founders’ profiles, I obtained the university affiliation of these companies. I also gathered information about their industry affiliation, size, turnover, regional (country) identity, etc. Using this data, I developed a number of indicators characterizing the intensity of interaction between universities and companies. I show that there is a positive link between innovation activity and performance indicators describing the intensity of interaction between universities and companies at the regional level. In closing, I offer a few comments about the possibility of using the results of this research in the analysis of applied problems related to innovation policy and the development of ratings for the innovative activity of regions.

Innovation Network Development Model in Telemedicine: A Change in Participation.

ObjectivesThis paper introduces a telemedicine innovation network and reports its implementation in Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The required conditions for the development of future projects in the field of telemedicine are also discussed; such projects should be based on the common needs and opportunities in the areas of healthcare, education, and technology.MethodsThe development of the telemedicine innovation network in Tehran University of Medical Sciences was carried out in two phases: identifying the beneficiaries of telemedicine, and codification of the innovation network memorandum; and brainstorming of three workgroup members, and completion and clustering ideas. The present study employed a qualitative survey by using brain storming method. Thus, the ideas of the innovation network members were gathered, and by using Freeplane software, all of them were clustered and innovation projects were defined.ResultsIn the services workgroup, 87 and 25 ideas were confirmed in phase 1 and phase 2, respectively. In the education workgroup, 8 new programs in the areas of telemedicine, tele-education and teleconsultation were codified. In the technology workgroup, 101 and 11 ideas were registered in phase 1 and phase 2, respectively.ConclusionsToday, innovation is considered a major infrastructural element of any change or progress. Thus, the successful implementation of a telemedicine project not only needs funding, human resources, and full equipment. It also requires the use of innovation models to cover several different aspects of change and progress. The results of the study can provide a basis for the implementation of future telemedicine projects using new participatory, creative, and innovative models.

Interaction with external agents, innovation networks, and innovation capability: the case of Uruguayan software firms

Purpose–The aim of this paper is to disentangle the interplay between nurturing interaction with external agents, innovation networks, and innovation capability. In particular, the paper argues that nurturing interaction with external agents (by means of participation in different events that allow face-to-face interaction, or via collaborative technology) positively affects the innovation capability of firms by allowing the development of innovation networks and making them run smoothly.Design/methodology/approach–For this to be tested, an analysis has been carried out in Uruguayan software firms. A questionnaire was designed and addressed to the managers of the firms making up the target population. Structural equation modeling (SEM) based on partial least squares (PLS) was then applied to test the hypotheses put forward by the research.Findings–The results obtained show that nurturing interaction with external agents has a positive and significant influence both on the formation of innovation networks and on their operational performance. This influence is much stronger when it comes to ensuring the smooth operation of the network than when it comes to facilitating its formation. Moreover, innovation networks and their functioning clearly mediate the relationship between interaction with external agents and innovation capability.Research limitations/implications–Traditional limitations of cross-sectional studies apply.Originality/value–Although previous literature highlights the relevance of social interaction for the creation of new knowledge and subsequent innovation, the role of mediating variables has been hardly considered. This research helps to shed some light on this issue in the case of social interaction with external agents. In particular, the mediating role of innovation networks has been analyzed.