Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Major factors affecting biomedical cross-city R&D collaborations based on cooperative patents in China

  • Published:
Scientometrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Due to the fastidiousness of the industry, it has become absolutely necessary for the biomedical industry to seek innovative R&D collaborations in order to maintain high standards in technological advances as well as the array of products from various fields. The biomedical industry is seen to be focused in certain geographical locations; scientific research activities appear to cluster in cities or towns. Modern cities have the potential to play a crucial role in the national or regional innovation systems. Strengthening R&D collaborations between cities can bring about a perfect synergy that integrates various regional innovation systems. The cross-sectional co-patent data of the CNKI Medical and Health Technology Patent Database was taken up as a representation for the R&D collaboration. This paper investigates the spatial patterns of R&D collaborations between 224 Chinese cities and the major factors that influence biomedical cross-city R&D collaborations in China from 1990 to 2019. A spatial interaction model was used to examine how spatial, economic, technological and political factors affect cross-city R&D collaborations. The degree of supremacy shows that cross-city collaborative R&D activities occur mainly in favored regions, advanced municipalities and coastal regions. The mean intensity for interprovincial cross-city collaborations is higher than inter-provincial collaborations spanning over periods nearly six times the duration. The findings revealed that factors like spatial, economic, technological and political-bias definitely exert significant influences on the frequency of biomedical cross-city R&D collaborations. Specifically, the heterodyne dummy variable and the geographical distance variable have a certain degree of overlap, which has a significant impact on the cooperation frequency.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Acosta, M., Coronado, D., Ferrándiz, E., & León, M. D. (2010). Factors affecting inter-regional academic scientific collaboration within Europe. The Role of economic distance. Scientometrics, 87(1), 63–74.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen, K., & Kenney, M. (2007). Universities/research institutes and regional innovation systems: the cases of Beijing and Shenzhen. World Development, 35(6), 1056–1074.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, C. T., & Wang, T. (2003). The influence to the local S&T legislation from the view of CAST operation mode forum on science and technology in China. Forum on Science Technology in China, 7(4), 125–129. (In Chinese).

    MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Dang, X. H., & Gong, Z. G. (2013). The Impact of multi-dimensional proximity on cross-regional technological innovation cooperation—an empirical analysis based on common patent data in China. Scientific Research, 31(10), 1591–1600. (In Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Duan, Z. X. (2018). The Impact of “proximity” on regional science and technology innovation cooperation: taking the Pearl River Delta as an example. University of Electronic Science and Technology., 2018, 51. (In Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Fischer, M. M., Scherngell, T., & Jansenberger, E. (2006). The Geography of Knowledge Spillovers Between High-Technology Firms in Europe: Evidencefrom a Spatial Interaction Modeling Perspective. Geographical Analysis, 38(3), 288–309.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fu, T., Yang, Z. H., & Qin, Z. (2017). The Structure of cooperation patent network of regional pharmaceutical industry in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei and its impact on patent output of pharmaceutical enterprises. Science and Technology Management Research, 22, 178. (In Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Gao, X., Guan, J., & Rousseau, R. (2011). Mapping collaborative knowledge production in China using patent co-inventorships. Scientometrics, 88(2), 343–362.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoekman, J., Frenken, K., & van Oort, F. (2009). The geography of collaborative knowledge production in Europe. The Annals of Regional Science, 43(3), 721–738.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hong, W. (2008). Decline of the center: the decentralizing process of knowledge transfer of Chinese universities from 1985—2004[J]. Research Policy, 37(1), 580–595.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hu, Y. J., & Liang, C. Y. (2009). An empirical study on China’s cross-regional R&D cooperation. Science and Technology Management Research, 1(9), 49–50. (In Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Hu, Y. J., Scherngell, T., & Liang, C. Y. (2009). The empirical study on inter-regional R&D collaboration in China. Science Technology Management Research, 1(9), 49–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jaffe, A. B., Trajtenberg, M., & Henderson, R. (1993). Geographic localization of knowledge spillovers as evidenced by patent citations (No. w3993). National Bureau of Economic Research.

  • Jiang, S. Q., & Shi, A. N. (2017). Major factors affecting cross-city R&D collaborations in China: evidence from cross-sectional co-patent data between 224 cities. Scientometrics, 111(3), 1251–1266.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang, S. Q., Tian, P. P., Sha, Z. M., et al. (2017). Analysis of the status quo of R&D cooperation in biomedical field in China based on cooperative invention patent. China Pharmacy, 28(31), 4334–4337. (In Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Jonkers, K. (2010). Mobility, Migration and the Chinese Scientific Research System. London: Routledge Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Katz, J. (1994). Geographical proximity and scientific collaboration. Scientometrics, 31(1), 31–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, J. R. (2002). Patent literature and information (Vol. 23). Beijing: Intellectual Property Press. (In Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Liang, L., & Zhu, L. (2002). Major factors affecting China’s inter-regional research collaboration: regional scientific productivity and geographical proximity[J]. Scientometrics, 55(2), 287–316.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ma, H., Fang, C., Pang, B., & Li, G. (2014). The Effect of Geographical Proximity onScientific Cooperation among Chinese Cities from 1990 to 2010. PLoS ONE, 9, e111705.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pan, R. K., Kaski, K., & Fortunato, S. (2012). World citation and collaboration networks: uncovering the role of geography in science. Scientific Reports, 1(2), 902.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ponds, R., Van Oort, F., & Frenken, K. (2007). The geographical and institutional proximity of research collaboration. Papers in Regional Science, 86(3), 423–443.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scherngell, T., & Barber, M. J. (2011). Distinct spatial characteristics of industrial and public research collaborations: Evidence from the fifth EU Framework Programme. The Annals of Regional Science, 46(2), 247–266.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scherngell, T., & Hu, Y. J. (2011). Collaborative knowledge production in China: regional evidence from a gravity model approach. Regional Studies, 45(6), 755.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun, K., & Li, Y. H. (2007). Analysis and comparison of technical innovation efficiency of provinces and cities in China. Science and Technology Forum in China, 1(11), 8–11. (In Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Wen, F. F. (2014). Analysis of the current situation of scientific research cooperation between schools and enterprises based on patent literature measurement. Intelligence Magazine, 33(12), 71–76. (In Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Wu, Y. (2014). Research on the impact of government science and technology investment on scientific and technological innovation——based on empirical test of panel data from 1982 to 2010 in 40 countries. Science and Science and Technology Management, 35(1), 17–22. (In Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Wu, L., Chen, L., & Song, G. (2016). Analysis of the development status of domestic and foreign biological industries and parks. East China Science and Technology, 1(10), 44–49. (In Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Yoon, J. (2011). Exploring regional innovation capacities of PR China: Toward the study of knowledge divide. PhD thesis, Georgia Institute of Technology.

  • Yu, X. F., Li, Z. W., Chi, R. Y., et al. (2005). Regional technology innovation efficiency in China: Status quo and causes. Scientific Research, 23(2), 259–264. (In Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, X., & Kanbur, R. (2005). Spatial inequality in education and health care in China. China Economic Review, 16(2), 189–204.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was funded by the research projects of the Soft science of Zhejiang province (Project No. 2018C35G2020495). The authors would thank the reviewers fortheir valuable comments.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Zuo-jun Dong and Lan Xu have been contributed equally to this work and should be considered co-first authors.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

    Zuo-jun Dong, Lan Xu, Jia-hui Cheng & Guo-jun Sun

Authors
  1. Zuo-jun Dong
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Lan Xu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jia-hui Cheng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Guo-jun Sun
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

All authors have designed and conducted research to participate in the writing of manuscripts. Zuo-jun Dong and Guo-jun Sun, Collected the data and manuscript finishing. Lan Xu and Jia-hui Cheng Contributed to data analysis.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Guo-jun Sun.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Dong, Zj., Xu, L., Cheng, Jh. et al. Major factors affecting biomedical cross-city R&D collaborations based on cooperative patents in China. Scientometrics 126, 1923–1943 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-020-03828-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-020-03828-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation