Technological Innovation Systems Research Articles

The geography of technological innovation systems - The case of forest-based biofuels in a Swedish region

Geographical proximity exerts a substantial influence on structural evolution, developmental trajectory, and pace of sociotechnical system growth. This study explores this aspect within the context of the development of forest biomass-based biofuel technology, employing a Technological Innovation System (TIS) framework with the lens of geographical proximity utilization of system components. The research employed a combination of document analysis and interviews with key system stakeholders as data collection methods. The analysis reveals that the close geographical proximity of the system components and technologies, encompassing both technical aspects and sectors, did not result in synergetic effects, in contrast to prior TIS research findings. Rather than fostering collaboration, it has engendered a competitive dynamic, partially driven by actors vying for knowledge leads and funding from both regional and national agencies. Consequently, the potential benefits of geographical proximity of system components remain largely untapped. In light of these results, this study offers practical recommendations for exploiting untapped opportunities, advocating for more strategic use of geographical proximity to foster system technology development and enhance its role in national TIS development. This case study enriches sustainability transition literature by providing valuable insights into the role of geographical proximity in innovation processes.

A Study on the Impact of ESG Ratings on the Innovation Capability of Chinese-Listed Companies

According to the report "Global Innovation Index 2023" released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), China's global innovation index(GII)ranks 12th, indicating that the government must speed up the construction of the technological innovation system. Enterprises also need to increase investment in innovation. At the same time, enterprises inevitably face the issue of sustainable development. ESG rating is an indicator to measure the ability of sustainable development and the potential of enterprises. In recent years, the Chinese government has advocated a new concept of high-quality development, which is positively aligned with the ESG concept. However, some companies also believe that the ESG concept is a policy requirement and rule limitation and cannot improve the competitiveness of the enterprise. At the same time, domestic scholars lack research on ESG, mainly on the relationship between ESG and financial indicators. This article selects listed companies from 2013 to 2022 as research samples to study the relationship between ESG ratings and patent applications, conduct regression analysis, and clarify the positive effect of ESG indicators on the innovation ability of enterprises. At the same time, heterogeneity testing is conducted for different market sizes, and this promoting effect is more significant for large-scale enterprises. The conclusion provides direction for further promoting the implementation of ESG concepts in enterprises. The government, society, and enterprises should all play their roles to jointly promote the high-quality development of enterprises.

Research on the Impact of Environmental Protection Tax on Green Technology Innovation of Enterprises

Research on the Impact of Environmental Protection Tax on Green Technology Innovation of Enterprises

Coordination between scientific and technological innovation and the high-quality development of Baijiu industry: The coupling and decoupling perspective.

The Baijiu industry is a significant contributor to both the food industry and the light industry. Its high tax characteristics effectively promote the sustainable development of the regional economy. First, the evaluation index system of scientific and technological innovation (STI) and high-quality development of Baijiu industry (HQDBI) were constructed. The entropy-improved CRITIC method was used to measure the weights. Second, the coordination relationship and evolution trend of STI and HQDBI were explored using the coupling coordination model and the Tapio decoupling model. Then, the transfer law and key influencing factors were further investigated using the Markov chain and grey correlation, respectively. The main contribution is the dynamic evolution of the coupling and decoupling relationships from the perspective of multiple Baijiu provinces, and deeply depicts the coordination relationship and evolutionary trends of STI and HQDBI. The results show that: the spatial distribution of the coupling coordination degree shows high values in the east-west and low values in the north-south characteristics. In 2021, a pattern of coordinated development in Baijiu provinces has emerged along the Yangtze River basin. The decoupling state is mainly strong decoupling, but it remains poor in Shanxi. The coordination process is unstable and difficult to achieve leapfrog development. Coordination, sustainability and innovation environment have a greater impact on the coordination of subsystems.

Correlation between Scientific and Technological Achievements of Universities and Regional Innovation System in Ensuring Sustainable Economic Development at the Meso Level

The transformation of scientific and technological achievements of universities is of great importance for regional economic development and the development of scientific and technological innovation. Based on three aspects — the input of innovative resources, the output of scientific and technological achievements and the transformation of scientific and technological achievements — this study selected 13 indicators, such as scientific and technical expenditures, the number of scientific and technical personnel, the results of publication activities, intellectual activity, patents, contracts and income from the transformation of scientific and technological achievements, to build an indicator system for the transformation of scientific and technological achievements of colleges and universities; at the same time 7 indicators were selected, such as the number of scientific and technological personnel, funding, the number of patents and scientific and technological business-incubators, to build a regional system for assessing scientific and technical potential, a system for assessing regional scientific and technical innovation potential. Based on the factor analysis method, the transformation scores of scientific and technological achievements of universities and regional scientific and technological innovations in each region of China in 2019–2021 were calculated; secondly, using the Coupling coordination degree model, the degree of relationship and coordination between the university system of transformation of scientific and technological achievements and the regional scientific and technological innovation system in different regions of China was calculated. The study showed that the level of scientific and technological achievements is uneven and not high; points of innovative development of Chinese regions have been identified. Thus, the transformation of scientific and technological achievements of universities is a necessary path for the scientific, technological and economic development of regions, when it is necessary to combine the needs of regional development, take measures to strengthen support for scientific and technological personnel, create platforms for sharing resources, and improve policies in the field of intellectual property in order to promote the industrialization of scientific and technological achievements, promote regional scientific and technological innovations and develop regional industry.

Analysis and Exploration of Achievement Transformation Models in Chinese and Japanese Universities

With the global economy entering the knowledge economy era, technological innovation has become the core driving force for the development of various countries. Only by transforming technological achievements into goods or services can their economic and social value be truly realized. Especially in developing countries like China, whether technological achievements can be quickly and effectively transformed into real productivity is of decisive significance for economic growth, industrial upgrading, and international competitiveness enhancement. The outline of China's 14th Five Year Plan proposes to accelerate the construction of a strong country in science and technology and enhance the country's capacity for scientific and technological innovation. Universities, as the main base for talent cultivation and the main force of the national scientific and technological innovation system, should become an important platform for achievement transformation. However, the conversion rate of patent achievements in Chinese universities has always been low. This article reviews and draws on Japan's experience and practices in promoting achievement conversion, and explores new models of achievement conversion that are suitable for China's national conditions.

Actors and sectors in technological innovation systems: patterns of knowledge development in the field of second generation biorefineries

ABSTRACT This paper investigates the relationships between a focal technological innovation system (TIS), its surrounding sectors, and other TISs, through a value chain perspective. We examine how firm actors from sectors with different value chain positioning contribute to the function of the knowledge development in an emerging TIS. By assigning patents to value chain steps in the context of second generation biorefinery technologies, our findings indicate that sectors differ in their knowledge generation patterns in the focal TIS, and that multiple sectors can contribute to knowledge development along the whole TIS value chain. We also differentiate four types of TIS actors based on the way they develop new knowledge to approach the focal TIS: (1) actors from existing sectors that directly enter the focal TIS; (2) diversifying actors that enter the focal TIS but also its adjacent TISs; (3) actors dedicated to the innovation niche; and (4) actors that emerge and operate solely in the focal TIS.

Does the Rubber Meet the Road? Assessing the Potential of Devulcanization Technologies for the Innovation of Tire Rubber Recycling

Innovation is crucial to meet the circular economy goals for tire recycling. Devulcanization, an innovative recycling method of reprocessing tire rubber, offers a pathway towards achieving circular economy objectives. While previous research on devulcanization has primarily focused on technical aspects, this study shifts the focus towards identifying opportunities and barriers for innovation through devulcanization. This research utilizes the Technological Innovation System framework as a basis to analyze the dynamics of innovation within value chains and innovation networks. Across Europe, 36 organizations were identified that develop and utilize devulcanization to transform rubber from end-of-life tires into a valuable resource for new rubber products. In this study, a semi-structured in-depth interview approach was applied to interview 12 organizations that have developed or utilize technologies for the devulcanization of tire rubber. It was found that the development of various devulcanization approaches for diverse types of products has created opportunities for upscaling. To capitalize on these opportunities, organizations need to collaborate throughout the entire value chain of tire production and recycling. Achieving this collaboration requires interventions across the industry.

Reality Characteristics,Power Mechanism and Path Choice of New Quality Productivity

New-quality productivity is a new type of productivity that emerges in the context of a new era, a new economy and a new industry, aiming at high-quality development, led by scientific and technological innovation, with high-quality workers at its core, and based on a new mode of production and organisation. The new productive forces has the characteristics of attaching importance to innovation, a long-term approach and a grasp of opportunities. These characteristics of the new productive forces enable them to meet the needs of enterprises to promote efficient production, the economic needs to promote high-quality industrial development, the social needs to meet the people􀆳s high quality of life, and the political needs to ensure that the country wins the initiative. The power mechanism of China􀆳s new quality productivity consists of the driving force of scientific and technological innovation, the driving force of government support and the pulling force of market demand. On the basis of the internal and external driving forces, emphasis is placed on building a scientific and technological innovation system with scientific and technological innovation as the core, cultivate emerging future industries by means of government-enterprise synergy, and adhering to high-quality development guided by social demand, in order to promote the rapid development of new quality productivity, in order to contribute to the development of productive forces and the sustainable development of human society.

CAN THE GREEN CREDIT POLICY PROMOTE GREEN INNOVATION IN ENTERPRISES? EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM CHINA

The green credit policy (GCP) is an institutional framework aimed at guiding enterprises towards green transformation and promoting high-quality development, which serves as a crucial tool for supporting the establishment of a green technology innovation system. In this study, utilizing the green credit guidelines as a quasi-natural experiment and constructed a continuous difference-in-difference (DID) model, examines the impact of GCP impact on enterprise green innovation and its internal mechanisms by analyzing data from Chinese A-share listed companies between 2006 and 2021. Our findings indicate that the GCP had a significant impact on enterprise green innovation, inhibiting companies from in-dependently developing green innovation while promoting joint green innovation with other institutions; These results were robust and consistent, even after conducting several sensitiv-ity analyses; This mechanism indicate that the commercial credit plays an important regulatory role in the process of GCP affecting green innovation of enterprises and the financing constraints act as an intermediary factor in the process of GCP affecting green innovation. Based on our research, we offer policy recommendations aimed at improving the GCP and fostering a market-oriented green technology innovation system.

Green Technology Innovation and Enterprise Performance: An Analysis Based on Causal Machine Learning Models

As increasingly stringent environmental regulations are put into effect, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) concepts are being seamlessly integrated into the core of corporate innovation strategies. Due to the quasi-public product perspective of green innovation, the performance of enterprises as a result of green innovation activities exhibits significant heterogeneity. This heterogeneity exists not only between corporate value and financial performance but also among individual enterprises. This paper is based on a sample of 1510 listed Chinese companies examined from 2013 to 2020 and uses machine learning algorithms and quasi-natural experiments to precisely estimate the causal relationship and mechanisms between green innovation and corporate performance. The findings elucidate several critical aspects of green innovation within the corporate sphere: Firstly, rather than attracting green incentives from financial markets, green innovation activities inadvertently stifle the enhancement of corporate value. Secondly, these activities markedly bolster corporate financial performance, primarily by diminishing operational costs, which in turn elevates the return on assets (ROA). Lastly, of all corporate characteristics examined, enterprise size and equity concentration stand out as key determinants influencing the variability in outcomes of green innovation performance. The above findings provide information on the significant implications of enhancing green technology innovation systems and green incentive mechanisms.

Entrepreneurship development in photovoltaic technological innovation system: a case study in Iran

Purpose This paper aims to develop a causal feedback structure that explains the dynamics of entrepreneurship development in Iran’s photovoltaic (PV) technological innovation system (TIS) to design effective policy interventions for fostering PV innovation. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts the system dynamics approach to develop the causal structure model. The methodology follows a systematic method to elicit the causal structure from qualitative data gathered by interviewing several stakeholders with extensive knowledge about different aspects of Iran’s PV TIS. Findings Lack of technological knowledge and financial resources within Iranian PV panel-producing firms are the main barriers to entrepreneurship development in Iran’s PV TIS. This study proposes two policy enforcement mechanisms to tackle these problems. The proposed feedback mechanisms contribute to the domestic PV market size and knowledge transfer from public research organizations to the PV industry. Practical implications The proposed policy mechanisms aid Iranian policymakers in designing effective policy interventions stimulating innovation in Iran’s PV industry. Originality/value The main contributions of this study include conceptualizing the causal structure capturing entrepreneurship dynamics in emerging PV TIS and proposing policy mechanisms fostering entrepreneurship and innovation in PV sectors.

Behind the scenes of industrial change – Change agency and system function linkages

ABSTRACT Green transformation of industry and society is high on the research and policy agenda. The article presents a proposal for a theoretical framework for studying technological change based on the employment of system functions drawn from the literature on technological innovation systems in conjunction with existing theorisation on regional restructuring and change agency. The empirical focus of this article is on the Grenland region in Norway, a thick and specialised region that focuses on the ‘greening’ of traditional industries. The empirical data were gathered through an in-depth case study of the ongoing restructuring process in Grenland and further by adopting a path tracing methodological approach building on interviews held with key actors, in addition to desk research. The findings revealed how the restructuring process in Grenland can be broken down and understood by empirically examining links between different types of change agency and the utilisation of system functions. The author concludes that the findings provide important insights into the theoretical debate on how agency on a micro-level relates to institutional evolution and structural change.

A three-player game model for promoting enterprise green technology innovation from the perspective of media coverage.

The objective of this study was to explore the game relationship among enterprise, the government, and the public under the new media environment, so as to provide decision-making reference for improving enterprise green technology innovation and promoting economy high-quality development with new media participation. This study constructs a three-subject evolutionary game model of enterprise, government, and public based on multi-agent relationship analysis and evolutionary game theory. In addition, the derivation of an evolutionary equilibrium strategy and numerical simulation analysis is carried out to comprehensively explore the evolution trajectory of green technology innovation system under the new media environment. (1) The system may have four stable evolutionary strategies: (1,0,0), (0,0,1), (1,0,1), and (1,1,1). (2) The initial strategy probability of various actors would affect the system evolution speed but not the evolution result, and the authenticity of new media reports is an important factor determining the system evolution of green technology innovation. (3) Numerical simulation results show that a fair and just new media environment can effectively constrain the traditional production behavior of enterprise, actively guide the public to participate in supervision, and play an alternative role to government regulation to a certain extent. This study explores the evolutionary balance strategy of green technology innovation system under the new media environment, which not only enriches relevant theories of media environment governance but also has important reference value for promoting enterprises' green technology innovation and establishing an environmental governance system jointly governed by government, enterprise, public, and media.

Policy as a catalyst in shaping mobility sector transition for developing countries

This paper presents a modified technology innovation system (MTIS) approach applicable to developing countries. Evidence collected over three decades 1992–2022, shows how policy plays a catalytic role in managing multidimensional low-emission mobility transitions in developing countries such as Pakistan. This paper follows policy and the network of actors, institutions and technology in compressed natural gas (CNG)-based mobility transition in Pakistan. Event-based analysis helped in mapping the development of respective functions, which is later validated by expert consultation. Between 1992 and 2002, deliberate policies for early adoption were put in place to strategically manage a desired transition path. This involved providing guidance and knowledge diffusion through demonstration to increase entrepreneurial activities and market formation. The accelerated diffusion during the take-off period during 2003–2012 was due to the entry of private businesses and multinational companies speeding up entrepreneurial activity and market-formation functions. However, there was a clear policy-driven roll-back and deceleration during 2013–2022. Policies designed to ban CNG licence issuance and renewal resulted in detrimental effects on market and entrepreneurial activities. Social struggle arising from roll-back is now caught in a dilemma if policy innovation will lead to re-emergence of CNG or will support a new transition cycle through the emergence and adoption of electric vehicles in the mobility space of Pakistan. Rapid shifts in the global landscape of innovation and market conditions are creating a need for the effective handling of cascading transition management in developing countries. This paper outlines how lessons learnt from Pakistan’s CNG-MTIS can help in shaping electric vehicle MTIS not only in Pakistan, but also in many other developing countries. It is recommended that, in order to manage cascading transitions in developing countries, new approaches and strategies for reskilling, retraining and redirecting finances to address stranded assets be employed. This can mitigate the negative impacts on those affected by transformation and create an environment for a just transition that restores trust in policy and accelerates transformative change.

An Analysis of Huawei's Financing Decisions, Investment Decisions, and Operational Decisions

Enterprises play a crucial role in the integration of research, technology, and economic development, and their significance within the scientific and technology innovation system remains prominent. The decision-making process pertaining to funding, investment, and operations holds significant importance in the business activities of an enterprise. The rationality of these decisions directly influences the long-term success of the enterprise. Hence, it is imperative for organizations to thoroughly evaluate all facets when making decisions in order to mitigate the likelihood of encountering risks associated with financing, investment, and operational decision-making. This study utilizes a literature review approach and financial statement analysis method to gather and arrange relevant literature on the topic. Data tables are collected, and key information is derived from them. Finally, the findings are organized and summarized. This paper presents an analysis of Huawei's financing decisions, investment decisions, and operational decisions by drawing upon relevant literature from both domestic and international sources. The study also incorporates some specific case studies of Huawei to illustrate these concepts. The paper highlights several successful strategies implemented by Huawei that are worthy of emulation. In conclusion, the findings of this study provide valuable insights and recommendations to assist enterprises in making informed investment and financing decisions, thereby facilitating improved operational performance and overall development.

Discovery of Technological Innovation Systems: Implications for Predicting Future Innovation

ABSTRACT In contrast with the accelerating trend of boundary-spanning (horizontal) technological innovation, the current Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) scheme applies a hierarchical (vertical) structure to innovation output in terms of patents. For this reason, we argue that the CPC can be complemented with dynamic technological innovation system (TIS) discovery through machine learning that accounts for horizontal relationships across seemingly disparate technologies. Using a design science approach, we propose a framework to discover boundary-spanning TISs by leveraging the textual information from millions of patents. We validate our framework in terms of the ability of discovered relationships to predict future innovation quantity and quality in different technology classes. Our novel TIS-based innovation metrics that leverage patenting activity in related technology classes are significantly associated with future innovation intensity in focal technologies. We conduct experiments with machine learning models to further tease out the predictive utility of our TIS discovery framework.

A Human-Centric Technological Innovation System Based on Knowledge Processes and Human Capital

A Human-Centric Technological Innovation System Based on Knowledge Processes and Human Capital

中国湖泊科学数据共享的路径和方法

The reuse of scientific data can foster the sharing and collaboration of research processes, facilitating a more efficient allocation of data resources. Lake scientific data, as an important fundamental strategic resources, play a crucial role in driving national scientific and technological innovation, fostering economic and social development, and advancing the construction of a national ecological civilization. The sharing of scientific data pertaining to lakes has gradually emerged as an important part of China's national scientific and technological innovation system construction. This research synthesizes the primary channels for lake data production, offering a comprehensive overview of the main data types and formats of lake data from the perspective of lake discipline as an interdisciplinary discipline, and summarizes the current situation of sharing scientific data on lakes both domestically and internationally. Furthermore, this paper also proposed strategies and methodologies for facilitating sharing scientific data related to lakes based on standardized systems, data classification, service platforms, and hierarchical sharing services. In this study, we concluded the institutional measures for lake data sharing, and provided insights for the further development of lake science data sharing under new circumstances. This research is undertaken with the aim of fostering the transformation of lake science data sharing modes under the new paradigm of lake science research.

The role of material resources for rapid technology diffusion in net-zero transitions: Insights from EV lithium-ion battery Technological Innovation System in China

A key challenge to achieving a net-zero transition by mid-century is rapid diffusion of several low-carbon technologies which requires massive upscaling of production capacity including vast use of material resources. However, both diffusion theory and main transition studies frameworks pay insufficient attention to the role of material resources. To better understand the relationships between diffusion, production, and material use in technology diffusion and transitions, we conceptually elaborate the role of material resources in the value chain perspective on Technological Innovation Systems (TIS). We account for how material scarcity appears and how it influences TIS structural and functional dynamics with particular attention to how actors along the value chain respond. Our study of China's Electric Vehicle lithium-ion battery TIS value chain shows that a shortage of critical materials occurred due to structural tensions between sectoral regimes along the value chain which influenced the TIS structural and functional dynamics both within and across sectors. The study contributes new insights on the role of materials in TIS and circular value chains, on how the TIS growth and diffusion phase unfolds, and on how urgency of a net-zero transition and geopolitics influence diffusion.