Technological Innovation Systems Research Articles

High-tech marketing: Challenges and opportunities for the Russian Federation

The purpose of the study is to search for guidelines for holistic marketing in solving the problems of high-tech development of the Russian economy. The article reveals the problems and opportunities of marketing for high-tech solutions in the Russian realities of the world economy geopolitical crisis period, sanctions pressure and the disruption of global innovation links. The results of statistical and expert evaluations of the Russian and foreign studies are analyzed. Approaches to the definition of high technologies are presented; their features as an object of marketing (complexity, high uncertainty of results), as well as demand and competition; high risks of investments of all types of resources. The innovativeness, ability to generate and commercialize high-tech innovations crossing the boundaries of industries, cultures and markets of the regions of the world, is defined as a necessary condition for sustainability, competitiveness of the economy and the potential for its development. The definition of high-tech marketing in the concept of holistic marketing is proposed. High level of human capital development in the Russian Federation is defined as a prerequisite for the use of creative solutions in marketing of high-tech innovations. The recommendations of marketing solutions for the deployment of the life cycle of a high-tech product for market segments of varying degrees of maturity are presented, the methods and models used in high-tech marketing are indicated. The importance of informing and educating a wide and professional audiences is emphasized. High technologies are proposed to be considered as part of innovative systems in the context of socio-economic institutions. It is noted that the holistic concept of high technology marketing as an element of national, technological and global innovation systems involves decisions at the institutional and infrastructural levels.

Towards socio-digital rural territories to drive digital transformation: General conceptualisation and application to the olive areas of Andalusia, Spain

The future of rural areas, in different geographical contexts around the world, faces enormous challenges and uncertainties, with the emergence of complex territorial dynamics. One of the main disruptive factors underlying the current challenges in rural realities is digital transformation (DT). This study has two objectives: 1) to develop a theoretical framework for the analysis of DT in rural areas from a territorial perspective, through the proposal of the concept of ‘socio-digital rural territories’ (SDRT); and 2) to analyse the specific case of the olive areas of Andalusia where DT is starting in recent years. For this purpose, Social Network Analysis (SNA) techniques are used, both to build the theoretical framework and to evaluate the concepts developed at a practical level in the case study. The results obtained show that addressing DT in rural areas from a territorial approach should consider the technological innovation system (TIS) and relational social capital (RSC), embedded in the technological and social dimensions of a territory, as key elements to promote successful dynamics towards a SDRT. On the other hand, the analysis of the DT network in the olive-growing areas of Andalusia (the DT olive network) shows that the actors that stand out for their role as knowledge emitters include digital technologies companies, knowledge generation agents, knowledge transfer agents and the scientific and informative media. On the contrary, the main receiving knowledge actors are olive growers, cooperatives or cooperative groups, non-cooperative groups and agricultural organisations. The density of connections in the network is high considering the type of actors and connections analysed. The DT olive network has a high potential for the creation of RSC. Thus, there is bonding capital, in which a high number of connections between actors predominate, although with low homogeneity in the typology of actors. And there is bridging capital, in which organisations of different types participate, and as it is a decentralised network, it favours the lack of concentration of power. Finally, this article offers a novel explanation of how knowledge is exchanged and created in a social network, and how this exchange creates new intellectual capital. This capital, which in the case of DT is territorial digital capital, is translated into digital technologies. The results indicate that the DT olive network and its RSC lead to the potential formation of an SDRT in Andalusian olive areas.

The Marxist View of Science and Technology and China's Independent Innovation and Development

Science and technology have played an important role in the development of human society. Marx and Engels attached great importance to the development of science and technology, and had unique views on science and technology. Marxist view of science and technology has the scientific attribute of keeping pace with the times and seeking truth from facts. The Marxist view of science and technology points out that scientific progress is an important driving force for technological development, which provides important guidance for China to build an independent and innovative country. This paper expounds the formation and development of the Marxist view of science and technology, discusses its views on science and technology and social development, and then, under the guidance of the Marxist view of science and technology, points out the development and innovation of the Marxist view of science and technology in China at different stages in combination with the actual development of China. According to the scientific judgment of the Marxist view of science and technology, summing up the historical experience and lessons, this paper obtains the enlightenment of the Marxist view of science and technology on the development of China's independent innovation, and holds that China should continue to improve the scientific and technological innovation system and continuously strengthen the construction of infrastructure; focus on developing innovative human resources; create a good innovation atmosphere and build a new pattern of independent scientific and technological innovation and development.

Assessing the determinants of agricultural productivity in Somalia: An application of an ARDL model

This study delves into the factors that boost agricultural productivity while taking five macroeconomic variables into account. The investigated variables are agricultural productivity, which is used as the dependent variable, while employment in agriculture, gross capital formation, arable land, and rainfall are the independent variables. Employing an autoregressive distributed lags (ARDL) model, this paper examines the determinants of agricultural productivity in Somalia from 1991 to 2020. The cointegration between the model’s variables was verified using a bounds-testing approach to cointegration. Employment in agriculture was found to have both a short-run and long-run positive impact on agricultural productivity. Similarly, it was discovered that both gross capital formation and the availability of arable land had a favorable influence on agricultural productivity in the short and long run. Additionally, the study indicated a positive short-run and long-run correlation between rainfall and agricultural productivity, although this correlation is statistically insignificant at a five percent level. In the long run, the amount of available arable land has a positive impact on agricultural productivity. However, in the short run, this determinant has the opposite effect. Based on the results, the study advises the government, policymakers, and other concerned authorities to prioritize technological innovation and climate-smart agricultural systems to boost sector productivity.

Research on Coupling Mechanism between Digital Inclusive Finance and Scientific and Technological Innovation: Spatiotemporal Characteristics and its Driving Factors

Based on the coupling and coordinated development mechanism of digital inclusive finance and scientific and technological innovation, the evaluation indexes for digital inclusive finance and scientific and technological innovation are constructed respectively. Besides, the coupling and coordinated development relationship and their driving factors in 30 provinces and cities from 2011 to 2021 are studied by using the evaluation model via the entropy weight method, coupling and coordination model, and two-way fixed effect model. The results are as follows. 1) Obvious regional differences exist in the coupling coordination between digital inclusive finance and scientific and technological innovation in China, which is high in the east and the south but low in the west and the north, although such differences are decreasing year by year .2) Using the two-way fixed effect model shows that the development of foreign trade, human capital, financial support, and other factors have a high correlation with the coupling and coordinated development of digital inclusive finance and science and technology innovation system. Premised on the existing research, this paper further analyzes the coupling and coordination of digital inclusive finance and scientific and technological innovation in various provinces of China at present, including time and space dimensions, which provides practical strategic guidance for the government to promote the coordinated development of them, leaving profound lessons for improving the national science, technology, and finance.

Four critical engineering and technical problems in manufacturing measurement of traditional Chinese medicine

Focusing on the development and quality improvement strategy of the traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) industry, the scientific and technological innovation of the new engineering of TCM should be paid attention to solve the "stuck neck" dilemma. Under the background of the ecological and industrial revolution of the scientific and technological innovation system, the super-scale information interaction and multi-dimensional integration will inevitably lead to profound changes in the manufacturing mode of TCM. Manufacturing measurement of TCM is formed on the basis of the reliability engineering theory of process control of TCM production. It is the development extension of system theory and system science ideas and a cross-fertilization discipline that combines theory with practice and adheres to the "four-oriented" re-epistemology improvement of the TCM discipline. In response to the problems of complex raw material sources, coarse process technology, unclear material basis, and poor applicability of equipment and technology in the manufacture of TCM, the transformation research mode of "aiming at the integration of pharmaceutical industry-developing intelligent production line-enabling industrial transformation" has been developed. This paper proposed the four key engineering technical problems, i.e., the identification of critical quality attributes(CQA) in the manufacture of TCM, the quality by design(QbD) and product development of the manufacturing process of TCM, the quality transfer principle and multivariate process capability index of TCM manufacturing, and the development of measurement technology and equipment of the manufacturing measurement of TCM, to achieve the systematization of quality control indicators, real-time process control, digitalization of manufacturing process, transparency of quality transfer, and intelligent whole-process control. In this paper, the new concepts, new theories, and new technologies provide a reference for the industrialization of TCM.

Development of a novel framework for the analysis of Technological Innovation Systems by Causal Layered Analysis (CLA) in energy systems

ABSTRACT Greenhouse gas emissions from the burning of fossil fuels, as one of the main sources of anthropogenic climate change accounts for two-third of the global emissions. In this issue, Iran has adopted a set of policies and goals to consider related technology development. One of these technologies around which several national programmes have launched is the Cogeneration of Heat and Power (CHP). Nevertheless, the national goals have not been fulfilled as expected. The aim of this paper is therefore to provide a framework in order to identify the bottlenecks hindering CHP development in Iran. This framework is based on the Technological Innovation System (TIS) along with the Causal Layered Analysis (CLA) to decipher the profound and latent factors causing these problems. The results reveal a significant role of the discourses and visions both directly on the failure of the CHP innovation system functions and indirectly through affecting structural problems. A notable policy suggestion is to change the discourse of centralised power generation and to make more effort to legitimate the energy efficiency in the society. The developed framework can also be beneficial to policy-makers to formulate and analyse the future visions for the CHP plants.

Spatial Correlation Network Analysis of Industrial Green Technology Innovation Efficiency in China

Exploring the spatial correlation network and its structural characteristics of China’s industrial green technology innovation efficiency is significant for promoting the coordinated development of inter-regional industrial green transformation. Based on the innovation value chain, this paper divides China’s industrial green technology innovation system into three interrelated sub-stages: technology research and development, achievement transformation, and commercialization. The NSBM model is used to measure the efficiency of industrial green technology innovation in 30 provinces and cities in mainland China from 2011 to 2020. The modified gravity model and social network analysis method are introduced to explore its spatial correlation network’s structural characteristics and evolution rules. The results show that the spatial network correlation intensity of the three stages of green technology innovation efficiency in regional industry has gradually strengthened. There is no strict hierarchical structure, and the spatial network tends to be stable. The network shows an apparent “core–edge” distribution in all three stages, with the eastern coastal and central more developed regions at the network’s core. Meanwhile, the northeastern and western remote areas are at the network’s edge and less connected with other regions’ provinces and cities. The distribution of network blocks in the three stages of green technology innovation efficiency is similar. The net benefit block mainly includes the eastern coastal and surrounding developed areas. The net spillover block mainly consists of the economically backward northwest region. The broker block is primarily distributed in the surrounding provinces and cities of the Bohai Rim. The bidirectional spillover block is mainly located in the southwest region. Finally, some suggestions are put forward to promote the coordinated improvement of regional industrial green technology innovation efficiency from the perspective of integrity, individuality, and agglomeration.

The evolving policy network in sustainable transitions: The case of new energy vehicle niche in China

Policy has been the driving force behind the rapid development of China's new energy vehicle (NEV) industry. However, the policy network that supports NEV development has been underexplored. This paper explores NEV as an innovative niche for sustainable transition and investigates the evolutionary mechanism of its policy network by combining insights from policy network, strategic niche management and technology innovation system (TIS) theories. Operationally, this paper adopted a social network analysis method to study the NEV policy network in various niche development stages consisting of 377 NEV policy documents formulated by government agencies between 2000 and 2021. Results show the NEV policy network evolves towards bigger, newer actors and is more heterogeneous in creating joint efforts in policymaking that promotes niche development and facilitates a transition to a market niche. Specifically, the policy network expands continually, and network density reaches the maximum of 0.635 at the end of the technological niche. Six agencies are identified as dominators in NEV policymaking. Collaboration on NEV policymaking exhibits obvious organisational heterogeneity, especially in the market niche with an E-I value of 0.576. This study enhances understanding of the evolutionary patterns of policy network and its function on supporting TIS development for immaturely sustainable technologies. The findings also provide important insights into the NEV policymaking process.

Understanding the business model design for complex technology systems: The case of the bioeconomy

The commercialization of bio-based technologies can foster the transition from a fossil-based to a bio-based industry. However, the development of bio-based technologies often implies a co-evolution of process and product technologies (compare for example a biorefinery producing biobased specialty chemicals) as well as the design of a larger systems architecture involving different actors. Additionally, technologies are increasingly developed in a modular design, where different components of the final technology are managed by several actors that only together engage in value-creation. Complexity of the system complicates the design of a business model due to different interdependencies and the need for co-evolution of different components of a larger technology system. To alleviate these challenges, we aim to build a framework that disentangles the interdependencies of technologies and actors as well as the inherent complexity of technology systems and guides the design of a business model for a complex technology system. By drawing upon five well-established concepts, namely (i) the technology-product-market linkages, (ii) the technology system, (iii) the system-of-systems perspective, (iv) the technology innovation system and (v) the ecosystem pie model, the proposed framework supports the design of a business model for scientist entrepreneurs of a focal technology, which aligns well with the overall (eco)system. To illustrate its use, we apply our proposed framework to the bioeconomic case of microbial palm oil produced in a biorefinery.

Technological innovation systems (TIS) as a tool for sustainable development of EdTech startups in developing countries: A case of the Republic of Kazakhstan

The Technological Innovation Systems (TIS) framework has become popular for analyzing innovation dynamics and as a systematic approach to understanding the development of new technologies. This paper aims to identify the main drivers and issues faced by EdTech startups and the entrepreneurs’ innovation role within Kazakhstan’s entrepreneurial ecosystem using the TIS framework, but from the role of the entrepreneur as the main actor, as opposed to systems. This study offers relevant information for new entrepreneurs in the EdTech field aiming for similar goals and potentially facing similar challenges faced by current entrepreneurs in that country. Data were collected from an online survey and semi-structured interviews using a quasi-quantitative and qualitative approach. The main research findings include identifying critical categories of risks and success indicators for Kazakhstan’s EdTech startup entrepreneurs, including the ability to attract foreign and local investments, risk management, monetization strategies, developing trends, and government support. A total of 30 companies were analyzed, with findings suggesting that the quality of the entrepreneurial ecosystem reflects the level of economic development.

Coupling synergy calculation between innovation and ethical responsibility for high-tech enterprises from the perspective of responsibility innovation

This paper aims to analyze the coupling coordination degree of technology, economy, social responsibility, and ethic of technological innovation in high-tech enterprises, and provide basis for the optimization of technological innovation system structure in high-tech enterprises. Using data of high-tech enterprises in China Statistical Yearbook and China Statistical Yearbook of Science and Technology in 2018, the authors applied Cloud model to index transformation, consistent fuzzy preference relations to determine index weights, coupling degree model to measure the coupling degree of responsible innovation system of high-tech enterprises in China. Research results show that the responsible innovation system of China’s high-tech enterprises in 2018 is in a low degree of coordination and coupling stage, and the high-tech enterprises in China invest relatively little in technical level, social development, and ethical innovation. This research contributes to the literature on responsible innovation, ethical responsibility in the high-tech enterprises, which is conducive to improving the quality of innovation activities. However, this research collected data from a single country at a single point in time. This paper studies from the perspective of responsible innovation and measures the coupling degree between innovation and ethical responsibility of high-tech enterprises. The establishment of coupling analysis model can not only effectively calculate the coupling degree of technological innovation system, but also deeply analyze the shortcomings of each subsystem of technological innovation system, and provide a basis for the formulation of promotion strategy.

A comprehensive evaluation of carbon capture technology in China based on analytic hierarchy process

The evaluation system of the technology innovation system is constructed. Taking the carbon capture technology of a 600MW thermal power unit as an example, four first-level indicators and ten second-level indicators are established based on technical performance, economic cost, social value and strategic value. The comprehensive quantitative evaluation is carried out using the combination of the analytic hierarchy process, expert scoring method and questionnaire survey method, which provides strong support for the development of carbon capture technology by relevant management departments.

Technological innovation system in agribusiness: motors and evolution

PurposeThis paper aims to analyze the evolution and interaction over time of the functions of a technological innovation system (TIS) based on the concept of an innovation motor.Design/methodology/approachIt is a case study of the innovation system associated with the technology for producing cage-free pullets for laying eggs in Pelotas/Rio Grande do Sul (RS).FindingsThe motors proposed by the TIS approach evolve sequentially and are associated with cumulative causality mechanisms. The study's results identified two functionalities: analysis of the chain as a whole and coordination of the actors involved in the system. The study's results also identified the presence of inflection points at the beginning of each of the motors.Research limitations/implicationsThe absence of a more accurate detailing of the market motor in discussions of the evolution of the motors and functions of TIS cage free Pelotas.Practical implicationsInnovation Motors as a new guiding approach for participatory innovation initiatives in rural areas.Originality/valueApplication of the TIS approach in agribusiness and proposition of two new functions for motor analysis, in addition to including inflection points as activation triggers in the evolution between motors.

Study on the Influence of Green Credit Policies on the Investment Efficiency of Heavy Polluters

Green finance is an important driving force for green innovation as well as green development in China, and is also one of the important strategies for the current high-quality economic development. In the dual context of building a green financial system and a market-oriented green technological innovation system, this paper takes the implementation of the Green Credit Guidelines in 2012 as an entry point, and uses a two-way fixed double difference model to test and examine the specific effects of the implementation of the Green Credit Guidelines policy on the investment efficiency of heavily polluting enterprises based on panel data of Chinese listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen A-shares from 2009 to 2020, and analyze the mediating mechanism of financing cost and debt maturity. It is found that (1) the implementation of the Green Credit Guidelines significantly improves the corporate investment efficiency of heavy polluters; (2) the loan amount and debt maturity play a partially mediating role between the Green Credit Guidelines and the investment efficiency of heavy polluters; and (3) the implementation of the Green Credit Guidelines improves the investment efficiency of heavy polluters in state-owned and non-eastern regions more significantly. The results of the study further emphasize the necessity of implementing green financial policies and the importance of implementing the policies according to local conditions so as to contribute to the high-quality green development of China's economy.

Spatial-Temporal Pattern of Agricultural Total Factor Productivity Change (Tfpch) in China and Its Implications for Agricultural Sustainable Development

With increasing tension between humans and land, and arising pressure on food security in China, the improvement of total factor productivity is important to realize agricultural modernization and promote rural revitalization strategy. In this study, we applied the DEA-Malmquist index method to measure the growth of China’s agricultural total factor productivity and its decomposition indexes at the prefecture-level city scale from 2011 to 2020. We found the average annual growth rate of agricultural total factor productivity was 4.5% during this period, with technical change being the driving factor and technical efficiency change being the suppressing factor. There is an initial decrease and then an increase in the Dagum Gini coefficient. The cold and hot spot areas of agricultural Tfpch were clearly formed. During the decade, the gravity center of agricultural Tfpch has migrated from the northeast to the southwest in general. Based on the characteristics of agricultural Tfpch, China is classified into four zones. In the future, the Chinese government should balance the government and the market mechanism, improve the agricultural science and technology innovation system and technology adoption promotion system, and implement classified policies to improve agriculture production efficiency.

Knowledge and network resources in innovation system: How production contracts support strategic system building

Alternative technologies development requires overcoming knowledge deficit in Technological Innovation Systems. New systems building operates through strategic modes, including partner and intermediary modes, which intentionally develop organizational and network resources. Our objective is to deepen the understanding of these collaborative strategies, by analyzing the role of contracting in value chains on the development of organizational and network knowledge resources for system building. Drawing on the case study of the grain legumes sector in Europe, which is critical for agrifood sustainability, we analyze how production contracts (PC) support partner and intermediary system building modes. Results show that PC are deliberately chosen to overcome knowledge deficit: PC foster knowledge resources at the organizational level by securing investment, and at the network level by increasing socio-technical interactions, data sharing, workforce, training and advice. This study contributes to a better understanding of collaborative system building modes and could be further developed to any sector.

Spatial network and driving factors of low-carbon patent applications in China from a public health perspective.

The natural disasters and climate anomalies caused by increasing global carbon emissions have seriously threatened public health. To solve increasingly serious environmental pollution problems, the Chinese government has committed itself to achieving the goals of peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality. The low-carbon patent application is an important means to achieve these goals and promote public health. This study analyzes the basic situation, spatial network, and influencing factors of low-carbon patent applications in China since 2001 at the provincial and urban agglomeration levels using social network analysis based on data from the Incopat global patent database. The following findings are established. (1) From the number of low-carbon patent applications, the total number of low-carbon patent applications in China increased year by year, while the number of applications in the eastern region was larger than those in the central and western regions, but such regional differences had been decreasing. (2) At the interprovincial level, low-carbon patent applications showed a complex and multithreaded network structure. In particular, the eastern coastal provinces occupied the core position in the network. The weighted degree distribution of China's interprovincial low-carbon patent cooperation network is affected by various factors, including economic development, financial support, local scientific research level, and low-carbon awareness. (3) At the urban agglomeration level, the eastern coastal urban agglomerations showed a radial structure with the central city as the core. Urban innovation capability, economic development, low-carbon development awareness, level of technology import from overseas, and informatization level are highly correlated with the weighted degree of low-carbon cooperation networks of urban agglomerations. This study provides ideas for the construction and governance of low-carbon technology innovation system and perspectives for theoretical research on public health and high-quality development in China.

The port authority as system builder in cross-border regionalization: An exploratory study of port Esbjerg in the development of north sea wind

This article enquires into the emerging governance function of port authorities as system builders in the development of cross-border technological innovation systems, i.e., cross-border regionalization. The argument is that port authorities, as hybrid organizations, possess a unique combination of resources allowing them to act as system builders and thus complement policymakers and other key decision-makers in solving transboundary governance issues. The empirical setting of the study is the Danish Port Esbjerg and the strategic system building activities performed by the Esbjerg port authority towards the ambitious European visions for expansion of the North Sea offshore wind industry, a key vision for the decarbonization of Europe. Particularly, Port Esbjerg assumes a leading role in cross-border networks and partnerships and contributes to solving transboundary governance issues by mobilizing and shaping its locational assets to fit the needs of the offshore wind industry and by international cooperation and partnerships with like-minded offshore ports.

Institutional work as a key ingredient of food innovation success: The case of plant-based proteins

In this paper, we use the theory of institutional work to understand how plant-based meat substitutes emerge and successfully diffuse in the context of a dominant meat regime in the United States (US). We observe that institutional factors such as norms, habits, values, and beliefs play a more vital role than previously identified. Therefore, we utilize institutional work theory combined with insights from technological innovation systems to create a holistic understanding of this transition. We study the American plant-based protein industry from 1978 to 2019. We conduct a qualitative event-history analysis based on 2345 events from the Nexis Uni database. We observe that by strategically deploying institutional work strategies aimed at creating, maintaining, and disrupting institutions and innovation system-building strategies, innovation system actors created a favorable environment in which meat alternatives can flourish.