Studies in Science of Science 科学学研究 is a comprehensive academic journal founded in 1983 and originally sponsored by the Chinese Society for Science of Science and S&T Policy Research. It is now jointly run by the Chinese Society for Science of Science and S&T Policy Research, the Institutes of Science and Development of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Research Center for Science, Technology and Society of Tsinghua University. Studies in Science of Science is an interdisciplinary journal that examines science, technology, and innovation in close connection with economic, business, and management development. The Issues focuses on major national policies and widely debated events in science and technology innovation, especially their economic and industrial implications. It promptly presents academic viewpoints, the latest research progress, and policy recommendations including those related to industrial upgrading, innovation-driven growth, and science-and-technology governance that affects firms and markets. The “Theory and Methods” column takes science, technology, innovation activities and related economic and managerial phenomena as its core research objects. It highlights cutting-edge theoretical frameworks and methodological advances, encouraging contributions that integrate innovation studies with economics, management science, business strategy, industrial organization, and evaluation methods, thereby promoting theoretical and methodological innovation in these intersecting fields. The “Innovation Exploration” column is grounded in real-world practices of science and technology innovation at the levels of firms, industries, regions, and innovation systems. Using empirical research, it seeks to distill new insights from practice such as R&D management, entrepreneurship, digital transformation, technology transfer, and open innovation and to refine innovation theory with explicit attention to business models, organizational behavior, and performance outcomes. The “Frontiers and Perspectives” column takes global trends and frontiers in science and technology development as its background, examining new dynamics and their major impacts on economic structures, industrial competition, and business ecosystems. It focuses on strategies and policies for science, technology, and innovation development, and encourages authors to propose new ideas and forward-looking views whether at the level of national STI policy, regional innovation systems, or firm-level strategy as well as to engage in critique and debate that contribute to academic and practical progress. Studies in Science of Science is a monthly journal and can be subscribed to throughout China. International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 1003-2053. Domestic Serial Number (CN): 11-1805/G3. Domestic postal distribution code: 82-315.
Editorial Department of Studies in Science of Science
A Strategic Competition Between China and Japan in the Indo-Pacific: Case From The Whoosh High-Speed Train Projects in Indonesia
China’s launch of the Belt and Road Initiative (2013) and Japan’s subsequent Partnership for Quality Infrastructure (2015) have intensified their rivalry over infrastructure exports across Asia. Existing scholarship largely contrasts these initiatives in terms of competition and norm diffusion, but pays less attention to the underlying forces shaping their policy designs. This article proposes a framework in which great-power rivalry and cross-national policy learning jointly guide how infrastructure strategies are formulated. Strategic competition encourages each country to differentiate itself and claim particular market and political spaces, whereas learning from one another’s practices gradually pushes their approaches closer together. We examine these dynamics along three dimensions: how the initiatives are defined, how state-backed support is structured, and how far they rely on multilateral versus bilateral arrangements. Using Indonesian railway projects as a paired case, we show how China, as a relative latecomer, leveraged political and financial innovation to enter a field long dominated by Japan, and how both sides subsequently adjusted their policies after the Jakarta– Bandung high-speed rail tender and the second phase of the Jakarta mass rapid transit project.
Infrastructure export strategies Policy learning
Copyright (c) 2025 Studies in Science of Science https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Measurement of ‘Changing Lanes and Overtaking’ Achievement Degree in China's Industry--An Empirical Analysis of the Automotive Industry Mainstream Technology Track
Since the initiation of the reform and opening-up policy, China has pursued a development strategy characterized by following the lead of advanced economies. This approach has resulted in China's long-term positioning at the lower end of the global value chain, which is dominated by developed countries. Consequently, China has faced significant challenges in achieving upward mobility within the value chain. Currently, many of China's industries are at a critical juncture of development and transformation, among these, the new energy vehicle industry stands out as the most dynamic sector, demonstrating considerable potential for China to achieve "Changing Lanes and Overtaking" development. Therefore, grasping the critical window period for "Changing Lanes and Overtaking" and ly identifying the extent of its realization are of vital importance for China to break through the path dependency of core technologies in traditional industries and to achieve high-quality development. Based on the INNOJOY patent database, this study selects two mainstream technological trajectories within the automotive industry as research objects: the technological trajectory of traditional internal combustion engine vehicles and that of lithium battery vehicles. A comprehensive three-dimensional analytical model, incorporating the dimensions of technology, economy, and law, along with its corresponding indicator system, is constructed to conduct a multidimensional analysis of the patent information related to these technological trajectories. The entropy weight method is employed to assign weights to each indicator, reflecting their relative importance. Subsequently, the TOPSIS method is utilized to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the value of each patent. This process results in the formation of a patent quality index for each country, which is then applied to compare the patent competitive advantages among different nations. The findings reveal that in the technological trajectory of traditional ICE vehicles, the gap between China and countries with high-quality ICE vehicle patents remains substantial. This gap is evident from multiple perspectives, including the overall and newly added key core patents, as well as from the aspects of total and valid patents. As a result, it appears unlikely that China will be able to achieve technological catch-up in the short term. In contrast, in the technological trajectory of lithium battery vehicles, China ranks third in the comparison of all key core patents, trailing only the United States and Japan. When considering the total index of patent quality for valid key core patents, China has surpassed Japan and now ranks second as of July 2024, notably, the annual increment of valid key core patents has consistently ranked second from 2012 to 2017. Furthermore, from the perspective of the patent quality index across the dimensions of technology, economy, and law, China consistently ranks in the top three, and the annual increment of valid key core patents has maintained a second-place position for 5-9 consecutive years from 2012 to 2017. These results indicate that China has preliminarily achieved "Changing Lanes and Overtaking" in the automotive industry. This study provides empirical evidence and reference for latecomer countries and their latecomer industries regarding the feasibility of "Changing Lanes and Overtaking" and potential future development directions.
Russia's awareness and concerns about high-tech cooperation with China under the new situation: an investigation and research based endogenous perspective of Russia
With the increasing complexity of the international situation and considering the realistic conditions of high political mutual trust between China and Russia, there is great potential for high-tech cooperation between the two countries. This article is based on a survey and research conducted on the Russian citizen over 25 years old, combined with expert consultation, attempting to demonstrate the overall understanding of the Russian government, think tank community, and society towards high-tech cooperation with China under the new situation. The study found that the Russian society has a strong willingness to cooperate with China under the influence of national strategic choices and has a high overall evaluation, especially in the fields of digital and information technology, and has expectations for the Chinese market environment. Although the scale and intensity of Sino-Russian high-tech cooperation are not as strong as that of Russia-USA and Russia-Europe, China's strategic dominant position in Russia's foreign high-tech cooperation will continue under the impetus of the “common agenda” to counter Western technological sovereignty. Based on the perspective of endogenous Russia, this research conducts an exploratory investigation and research on Russia's awareness and concerns about high-tech cooperation with China under the new situation, which provides clues and basis for promoting the high-quality development of Sino-Russian cooperation in the field of high-tech, and also provides inspiration for decision makers to respond and predict corresponding Russian policies.
New Productivity: A Comparison of European and American Policies and Lessons for China
New productivity—anchored in digitalisation, green transition and innovation-driven growth—has become a core theme in major economies’ structural upgrading strategies. This paper compares how the European Union and the United States conceptualise, cultivate, and govern “new productivity”, and distils policy implications for China. Drawing on policy documents, strategic plans and sectoral initiatives, the study finds that the EU emphasises mission-oriented and regulation-led new productivity, driven by green transformation, digital sovereignty, and social cohesion (e.g. Green Deal, Digital Compass, industrial policy under “open strategic autonomy”). By contrast, the US follows a more market-driven and security-oriented approach, characterised by flexible industrial policies, massive innovation funding in key technologies, and reshoring/“friend-shoring” framed by national security and techno-geopolitics. The paper argues that China should neither mechanically imitate European planning logics nor American competition logics, but build a China-specific new productivity paradigm that simultaneously: (1) strengthens basic research and original innovation capacity; (2) accelerates digital–green–manufacturing integration; (3) leverages super-large market advantages and the “new nationwide system” to build open yet controllable innovation ecosystems; and (4) improves institutional arrangements for talent, data and platform governance. These insights provide theoretical support and policy reference for China to cultivate new productive forces under great-power competition and deep global uncertainty.
Development strategies for China’s integrated circuit industrial ecosystem in the Post-Moore Era
The post-Moore era marks the period following the breakdown of “Moore's Law,” which predicted that microprocessor performance would double approximately every two years. In this era, integrated circuits are approaching the physical limits of material density and process technology, while energy consumption costs are rising significantly. The onset of the post-Moore era has led to three major technological shifts. First, in advanced silicon-based semiconductor manufacturing, the first-mover advantage of leading nations, regions, and companies is gradually eroding. Second, new competitive arenas are emerging in advanced packaging technologies and the development of alternative materials for silicon-based chips. Third, the rise of the RISC-V architecture is challenging the longstanding market dominance of Intel x86 and ARM architectures. The post-Moore era has also reshaped the competitive landscape, characterized by oligopolistic market structures and the increasing nationalization of key industry players. These developments offer new opportunities for China’s integrated circuit industry. In light of China’s burgeoning digital economy, which continuously creates new scenarios and markets, we propose that the Ecosystem strategy for the development of China's integrated circuit industry in the post-Moore era should encompass four types. First, mature ecosystem, which adheres to the singular technological path of More Moore, and the goal is to enhance the industry's autonomy and controllability, as well reducing the risk of being subjected to critical constraints. Second, scenario-driven ecosystem, which follows the integrated technological path of More than Moore and More Moore, and the aim is to leverage China's rich application scenarios to expand the boundaries of the integrated circuit industry ecosystem, while continuously promoting the industry's digital transformation and achieve autonomous control over the integrated circuit industry ecosystem from the end of key application scenarios. Third, future industry ecosystem, which integrates all three technological paths, with a key focus on breakthroughs in Beyond CMOS technology, and the objective is to capitalize on the advantages of a new nationwide system, to plan moderately ahead, and to seize the high ground in future international competition. Fourth, internationalized ecosystem, which emphasizes expanding China's diversified industrial ecosystem into the international market, and the purpose is to actively integrate into the global innovation ecosystem, further expand the scope of scenario-driven ecosystems, and enhance the resilience of the ecosystem. To address the challenges in the development of China's integrated circuit industry in the post-Moore era, it is essential to leverage the advantages of China's super-large scale market and its new nationwide system. First, in the domain of mature ecosystems, reconstructing the industrial chain, along with the support and guidance of industrial policies, can help build a second ecosystem that is autonomous, controllable, and compatible. Second, based on the combined technological approach of System-on-Chip (SoC) and System-in-Package (SiP), the rich application scenarios can be utilized to expand the boundaries of the industrial ecosystem. Simultaneously, by infiltrating through scenario applications, it is possible to gain dominance in these emerging industrial ecosystems. Third, proactively layout advantageous industrial ecosystems around future industries. Additionally, there should be innovation in the organizational models of industrial internet and the promotion of industry-level data element market construction, ensuring that various production relationships meet the development needs of key core technologies in future industries. Fourth, based on the characteristics of dominant countries and dominant enterprises in different segments of the industrial chain, China can adjust its strategies targetedly to actively integrate into the global innovation ecosystem and international industrial ecosystems.
Does R&D collaboration among enterprises promote technological convergence? ———Moderating effect of engagement level with universities / scientific research institutions
Technology convergence has become the primary way enterprises achieve technological innovation and cultivate disruptive technologies. Enterprises’ R&D cooperation was recognized as one of the crucial factors in promoting technological convergence. However, in the context of accelerated technology convergence in multiple fields, how enterprise R&D collaboration affects technology convergence remains unclear. Based on knowledge management theory and resource dependence theory, we constructed the multilayered complex network of enterprise R&D cooperation—technology convergence and measured the technology convergence degree of enterprises from the breadth, depth, and difference. Then, we explored the impact of enterprise R&D cooperation on technology convergence at different technology lifecycles and the moderating effect of engagement level with universities/scientific research institutions. We conducted empirical research on smartphone-related enterprises and found that (1) the strength of enterprises’ R&D cooperation, technology heterogeneity of enterprises’ R&D cooperation partners, and enterprises’ average R&D cooperation time all have a promoting effect on technology convergence depth and difference. The effects are more significant in the emergence and post-growth stages. (2) The strength of enterprises’ R&D cooperation, technology heterogeneity of enterprises’ R&D cooperation partners, and enterprises’ average R&D cooperation time all have an inhibitory effect on technology convergence breadth. The effects are different in each technology lifecycles. (3) The engagement level with universities/scientific research institutions positively regulates the inhibitory relationships between the strength of enterprises’ R&D cooperation, technology heterogeneity of enterprises’ R&D cooperation partners, enterprises’ average R&D cooperation time, and technology convergence breadth. The engagement level with universities/scientific research institutions negatively regulates the strength of enterprises’ R&D cooperation, technology heterogeneity of enterprises’ R&D cooperation partners, enterprises’ average R&D cooperation time, and technology convergence depth and difference. This paper revealed the intrinsic mechanism of enterprises’ R&D cooperation on technological convergence, which provided crucial theoretical and practical references for guiding enterprises to promote technology convergence through R&D cooperation, thereby cultivating disruptive technologies.
Various patterns in different markets: Research on patent war types in the perspective of Chinese enterprises
Patent warfare is a series of offensive and defensive actions centered around patent ownership and use, aimed at attacking business rivals and gaining commercial benefits by exploiting loopholes in policies and regulations. Originating in the United States, patent warfare is spreading globally, profoundly impacting the competitive landscape of industries and becoming a new problem and challenge for the global patent system. Facing the risks and challenges of global patent warfare, this study uses patent wars encountered by Chinese companies in the United States, China, Germany, the United Kingdom, and India as research samples, employing qualitative comparative analysis to conduct empirical research. The research shows that with the spread of patent warfare in recent years, it has evolved into differentiated characteristics, which can be divided into five main types. Not only are the initiators and attack methods of patent wars diversified, but the types and characteristics of patent wars also exhibit heterogeneity in emerging and mature markets. Therefore, to cope with the risks and challenges of global patent warfare, Chinese companies must adopt differentiated prevention and response strategies based on the type of patent war and the different markets and patent war actors.
Research on the influence of Sino - US technology rivalry on patent litigation of Chinese firms in the US
Nowadays, the uncertainty of the international environment is rising. On the one hand, deglobalization is intensifying, new technological nationalism is prevailing, and the global economic structure is being reshaped. On the other hand, as geopolitical conflicts between countries continue and Sino-US trade frictions intensify, Chinese multinational enterprises are facing unprecedented challenges. Among them, the core event is still that the United States imposed tariffs on Chinese imports in 2018, which subsequently escalated into the Sino-US trade war and technology game, in which the United States targeted Chinese high-tech enterprises and increased sanctions on industries in the "Made in China 2025". All the above phenomena show the concern of the United States about the rapid progress of China's science and technology. For Chinese multinational enterprises, it is not only necessary to strengthen the awareness of independent innovation, but also to protect their own technology from being infringed, which is also a topic worthy of attention in the theoretical and practical circles. This paper theoretically analyzes the intrinsic mechanism of the impact of the Sino-US Technology Rivalry on the number of patent litigation faced by Chinese firms in the United States, starting from the mechanisms of "Decoupling" and "Competition." Political tensions between the United States and China, on the one hand, limit the movement of technology and personnel between the two countries, thereby reducing potential patent disputes; On the other hand, it will increase the possibility that US enterprises will use patent litigation as a competitive weapon to suppress the core technology of Chinese enterprises, and the number of patent lawsuits will increase. Two contradictory "forces" make the relationship between the political tension between China and the United States and the number of Chinese enterprises being sued in the United States become confusing. By constructing a Staggered Difference -in- Differences model and using a sample of 151 Chinese high-tech companies that have faced patent litigations in the United States from 2013 to 2022, the paper examines the effect of the Sino-US Technology Rivalry on the number of patent litigation. The study finds that due to the reduction in technological activities and exchanges between researchers in China and the United States, the number of patent litigation against Chinese high-tech companies in the United States has significantly decreased after the Sino-US Technology Rivalry, and this effect remains robust after multiple tests. Further research reveals that the international diversity of companies weakens the negative effect, while the intensity of R&D strengthens the negative effect. This article tries to contribute to the following three aspects. First, this paper enriches the literature on political tensions and corporate strategic relationships, and finds that the US-China technology game has a negative impact on patent litigation through the progressive different-difference model, providing new evidence of the consequences of the US-China technology game at the micro-enterprise patent strategy level. Secondly, this paper enriched the relevant literature on cross-border patent litigation, innovatively proposed two mechanisms of "decoupling" and "competition", fully analyzed the impact path of external events on patent litigation at the macro level, and tested the regulatory role of international diversity and R&D intensity. Finally, this paper provides practical guidance for Chinese enterprises and government to deal with the technology game between China and the US.
The theoretical construction and policy enlightenment of the new system for mobilizing the resources nationwide
Establishing and improving a new national system for tackling key core technologies is an inevitable requirement for China to solve the "bottleneck" problem and achieve scientific and technological self-reliance. However, current theoretical research on this new national system lacks depth and cannot effectively address relevant domestic and international controversies. This study proposes the theoretical foundation of a new national system from the perspective of innovation-driven development and constructs a theoretical analytical framework of "national will—national capacity—interaction mechanism." It argues that the national will formed under crisis-driven conditions is an important prerequisite for implementing the new national system. Under the guarantee of strong national capacity, a dynamic interaction mechanism is formed between the government and the market, and between the public and private sectors, thereby transforming the institutional advantages of the new national system into advantages for national innovation-driven development.
How does strategic consensus facilitate enterprises to break through the digital pilot dilemma?
With the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, a growing number of enterprises have embarked on digital strategic transformation, accelerating the integration of new-generation information technology with their business scenarios. However, in practice, many enterprises are still stuck at the pilot stage of digital transformation for certain businesses, facing challenges such as high transformation costs and low production efficiency, thus trapped in a pilot dilemma. How to effectively help enterprises break through this pilot dilemma and promote the transition from limited pilot projects to full-scale implementation of digital transformation has become an important practical issue. Existing research has focused on studying the influencing factors of enterprise digital transformation at the senior management level. It overlooked the proactive role of employees in the transformation process. As a process of organizational strategic change, the implementation and promotion of enterprise digital strategies cannot rely solely on the drive of senior management. It requires the participation and support of all the employees. Only when employees reach a common understanding and identification with the established strategies of the enterprise will they consciously and actively engage in the strategic practice process, thereby effectively enhancing the level of digital transformation. In this sense, this study introduces a context-driven perspective to explore the mechanism of strategic consensus influencing the scope of enterprise digital application from differentiated contextualized innovation behavior. By using 244 pairs of "leader-employee" questionnaire data to carry out empirical analysis, the results show that: (1) Strategic consensus has a significant positive impact on enterprises' expansion of the scope of digital application. When employees at all levels reach a consensus and high identification with the vision and goals of enterprise digital transformation, it helps promote the integrated application of digital technology across various business links, assisting enterprises in breaking through the digital pilot dilemma. (2) Strategic consensus promotes the expansion of the scope of enterprise digital application through contextualized innovative behavior. The common understanding of enterprise digital transformation among employees at all levels can encourage them to actively engage in user contextualized innovative behavior, product contextualized innovative behavior and operational contextualized innovative behavior, thereby driving the transition of the scope of enterprise digital application from limited pilots to full-scale implementation. Lastly, employees' digital literacy amplifies the positive impact of strategic consensus on contextualized innovative behavior and strengthens the mediating effect of scenario-based innovation behaviors, thus helping enterprises break through the digital pilot dilemma. The theoretical contribution of this study lies in enriching the research on enterprise digital transformation at the employee level by comprehensively considering the influence of employee cognition and behavioral factors on enterprises' breaking through the digital pilot dilemma, and revealing the mechanism of this process. Furthermore, by examining the role of contextualized innovative behavior, this study expands the connotation and application of the context-driven theoretical perspective, verifies the mediating role of employee contextualized innovative behavior between employee strategic consensus and the scope of enterprise digital application, and reveals the path of strategic consensus influencing the scope of enterprise digital application. Finally, this study delves into the scenarios under which strategic consensus can better stimulate contextualized innovative behavior, thereby expanding the scope of enterprise digital application.
The impact of intelligent manufacturing on Chinese manufacturing enterprises' performance in GVC
Intelligent manufacturing has become a key driver for upgrading China’s manufacturing industry and enhancing its position in global value chains (GVCs). This paper investigates how intelligent manufacturing capabilities affect Chinese manufacturing enterprises’ GVC performance from both value capture and value chain position dimensions. Drawing on panel data of Chinese listed manufacturing firms, combined with indicators of digital technology adoption, automation level, and data-driven decision-making, we construct an intelligent manufacturing index and embed it into a firm-level GVC performance framework. Using fixed-effects and mediation models, the study finds that intelligent manufacturing significantly improves firms’ GVC performance by increasing value-added margins, export sophistication, and the probability of moving toward higher-end segments of the value chain. Mechanism analysis shows that this positive effect operates mainly through three channels: upgrading product quality, enhancing production flexibility and efficiency, and strengthening collaborative innovation with upstream and downstream partners. Heterogeneity tests further reveal that the promoting effect is more pronounced in high-tech industries, coastal regions, and firms with stronger absorptive capacity. The findings provide empirical evidence that intelligent manufacturing is an effective pathway for Chinese manufacturing enterprises to move from “big” to “strong” in GVCs, and offer policy implications for digital upgrading and GVC reconfiguration.
Research on algorithmic black boxes: A cognitive science perspective
Studying algorithmic black boxes from a cognitive dimension represents a third pathway beyond the existing technical and normative approaches. This perspective emphasizes understanding algorithmic black boxes through conceptual frameworks similar to those used for human cognition. Compared to the "black box" of the human mind, algorithmic black boxes face higher demands for transparency, which has given rise to the "algorithmic black box-transparency-accountability" framework. However, this focus often overshadows other important attributes of black boxes, such as their strangeness and legitimacy.Contrary to cognitive common sense, algorithmic black boxes also possess positive cognitive functions. They unify transitions across organizational levels in cognition and facilitate the shift from causal relationships to mechanisms. This capability challenges the myth of algorithmic explainability, avoids the illusion of explanatory depth, and provides directions for horizontal or nested explanations to unfold the black box. A visual "gray box" ladder explanation method, positioned between "white box" and "black box" approaches, can be employed.The analytical framework of the information and control phases s a re-evaluation of scenario-based regulation methods. Trust in algorithms can be categorized into three types: inherent trust, learned trust, and situational trust, corresponding to factors related to humans, algorithms, and the environment, respectively. Reducing "algorithm aversion" is influenced by the objectivity of algorithms, the autonomy of human processes, concerns about social judgment, and the degree of intrusion algorithms impose on human thought.
Breaking through technology blockade: A study on corporate venture capital investment strategy of high - tech companies
Technological innovation is a core element in developing new productive forces. Faced with the US-initiated technological blockade against China, breaking free from dependence on foreign technology and promoting technological self-reliance is crucial for the high-quality development of China's high-tech industry. This paper examines how Chinese high-tech companies utilize venture capital to overcome technological blockades and tackle key core technologies, using the US Entity List sanctions as a backdrop. The study finds that compared to high-tech companies not subject to Entity List sanctions, sanctioned companies significantly increased their venture capital investment after being sanctioned. Furthermore, venture capital significantly increased the number of patent applications, patent citations, and patent knowledge breadth for these companies in key core technology areas. Further analysis shows that when sanctioned companies have higher market positions, greater trustworthiness, and stronger absorption capabilities, they have a stronger incentive to initiate venture capital to overcome technological blockades. In terms of specific investment behavior, sanctioned high-tech companies are more likely to invest in startups with high upstream industry relevance and in early-stage development. This study reveals the important role of corporate venture capital in overcoming foreign technological blockades and tackling key core technologies, providing important insights for the independent innovation of Chinese high-tech enterprises.
Layered network spillovers in China’s new energy governance: Global carbon emission reduction through new energy city pilots
As the world's largest producer of renewable energy, China's renewable energy governance is both domestic and global. Exploring whether China's renewable energy governance practices have reduced global carbon emissions and enhanced global governance capacity is of significant practical importance. This study finds that China's renewable energy governance has a significant carbon reduction spillover effect. Specifically, it has significantly increased the depth and breadth of the signing of global environmental governance rules through RTAs (Regulatory Agreements). Looking at the details of the signed rules, trade-related aspects of China's renewable energy governance have the strongest carbon reduction spillover effect on implementation mechanisms and environmental target setting; technology-related and investment-related aspects are consistent, with external aid and institutional establishment being the most prominent; infrastructure-related aspects have the strongest carbon reduction spillover effect through the signing of external aid and implementation mechanisms. Furthermore, China's trade, technology, and infrastructure-related aspects of renewable energy governance with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative can accelerate the signing of global environmental governance rules through RTAs. Meanwhile, in terms of the distribution of related countries, China's trade-related carbon reduction spillover is highest with Europe, Africa is most directly affected by China's technology and infrastructure-related aspects of renewable energy governance, and Asia is best affected by investment-related carbon reduction effects. It is worth noting that the Sino-US friction will inhibit the spillover effect of China's trade-related new energy governance on global carbon emission reduction, but will strengthen the spillover effect of China's new energy governance technology-related linkages.
Ethical challenges and regulation of gene editing technology under the perspective of human dignity
Gene editing technology, as the most representative subversive technology in contemporary times, brings huge opportunities for human development while also posing many challenges by modifying life genes. This technology has broken through the traditional definition of life and the once unquestionable realm of life, directly touching on the existing ethical positioning of the intrinsic value of life and triggering a crisis of human dignity. At the three levels of nature, individuals, and society, this crisis of human dignity is manifested as a crisis of life dignity, a crisis of personal dignity, and a crisis of human dignity. dignity. To ensure the safety and proper use of this technology, relevant laws and ethical guidelines need to be formulated. Gene editing technology should be based on the principles of "people-oriented, scientific rigor, fairness and openness, early warning and accountability", balance the tension between the development of genetic technology and the value system of life ethics, construct a "soft landing" mechanism for the development of gene editing technology, establish a new ethical cognitive schema and new forms of ethical norms, so as to better safeguard human dignity and promote human development.
How disadvantaged firms achieve strategic green innovation in emerging fields —A longitudinal case study from the legitimacy perspective
In recent years, China's new energy storage has entered a large-scale development phase, during which energy storage companies focus on sustainable development goals and green development directions, and actively pursue green innovation strategies. Energy storage is a hot topic in the energy field, and from the field perspective, it is also a typical emerging field, and the emerging field is characterized by high volatility and instability of organizational roles and systems, for which innovative enterprises may face the dilemma of institutional vacuum. At the same time, power grid enterprises have been in a monopoly position in the energy field for a long time, and energy storage enterprises, as a new entrant to the industry, belong to a relatively vulnerable enterprises. As we all know, legitimacy is a necessary condition for the survival of enterprises, so it is of great practical significance to overcome the above difficulties and challenges to realize the legitimation of green innovation. In terms of theoretical background, the mainstream assumption of existing green innovation-related studies is that green innovation is a legitimate means for enterprises to comply with environmental regulations and satisfy the market's green demand, but this assumption is only applicable to explaining compliance green innovation, not strategic green innovation, which emphasizes differentiation and is ahead of the established institutional logic, and its legitimation process needs to be clarified urgently. Moreover, existing studies have rarely analyzed the legitimation process of green innovation in combination with a field perspective, and the legitimation process of green innovation has not been fully integrated with a field perspective. In addition, existing studies rarely analyze the legitimation process of green innovation from a field perspective and pay insufficient attention to strategic green innovation by disadvantaged firms in emerging fields. In summary, the core research question of this paper is: how and why is the legitimation process of strategic green innovation by disadvantaged firms in emerging fields possible? In order to answer this question, this paper focuses on the energy storage, an emerging industry, adopts a longitudinal single-case study method, and selects Global Mainstream Dynamic Energy Technology Ltd. as the object of study based on the theoretical sampling principle. The uniqueness of this case is that implementation of the terraced utilization of retired batteries belongs to the strategic green innovation of subversive significance, and the enterprise realizes the co-evolution with the institutional environment in the process of innovation through the perception of external opportunities, eventually dominating the industry norms. We obtained the required data through interviews with the executive team of the case firm, secondary data collection and on-site observation, and analysed the data using the coding method of the Grounded Theory, and then constructed a process model of the strategic green innovations legitimation by disadvantaged firms in the emergent field based on the results of the coding. In this paper, the strategic green innovation process of the case firms is divided into three stages: exploration, breakthrough and deepening, following the logic of “legitimacy challenge-legitimation process-legitimation result”, and introducing the perspective of organizational identity work to explain the internal mechanism of the legitimation process. The results of the study show that in the exploration phase of innovation, enterprise faces “cognitive pressure” and obtains legitimacy through “identity extending” and “innovation environment adapting”; In the innovation breakthrough phase, enterprise faces “cognitive pressure” and “normative pressure”, and gains legitimacy through “identity reinventing” and "innovation process designing”; In the innovation deepening phase, enterprise faces “cognitive pressure”, “normative pressure” and “regulatory pressure”, and mainly obtains legitimacy through "identity strengthening" and "innovation models diffusing". It can be observed that as the stages of innovation progress, the case firm becomes more dynamic and the level of legalization increases significantly. The findings of this paper include: (1) Disadvantaged firms in emerging arenas face the dual challenges of institutional vacuum and identity vulnerability, and the evolution of the arena's institutions in this context has led to different combinations of cognitive, normative, and regulatory pressures that need to be overcome for their strategic green innovations. (2) Firms’ organizational identity work and innovation strategy actions together constitute the legitimation process of strategic green innovation, which helps firms to achieve legitimacy in terms of professional identity, technological routes and ecosystems, respectively; within stages of the legitimation process, identity work underpins legitimation, sets the organizational strategic direction, and helps firms to escape from the identity vulnerability of new entrants. (3) Between stages, identity work creates identity spillover effects of "existing identity buffer" and “multi-identity claim transfer”, which is an important mechanism to promote the legitimation process of strategic green innovation across stages. This paper takes energy storage enterprises as an example of strategic emerging industry actors, theorizes the role of vulnerable enterprises in the emerging field, and provides theoretical support and practical guidance for their strategic green innovation legitimation characteristics and processes.
Diversity and reciprocity of cross - border mobility networks of scientific and technological talents located in China mainland
The cross-border mobility of scientific and technological (S&T) talents, a critical occurrence in contemporary society, holds substantial economic and political connotations. The domains of global politics, economy, and society are swiftly evolving towards heightened complexity, morphing into a broader, more intricately linked, diverse, and dynamic system. Phenomena such as technological innovation, the spread of pandemics, and the increasing intricacy of the world question a linear, unidirectional, and static perspective that has largely guided studies on scientists' mobility. The dialogue on the cross-border mobility of S&T talents has progressed from the concepts of brain drain and brain gain to the idea of brain circulation, a term coined to illustrate the rising trend of temporary, transnational, and cyclical movements among highly skilled workers. This shift in paradigm necessitates an understanding of S&T talents' global mobility through the lens of complex network analysis. Diversity and reciprocity play crucial roles in upholding the stability and dynamics of networks. The diversity and reciprocity of cross-border mobility networks of S&T talents contribute to the creation of diverse and complementary human resources in the field of science and technology. Diversity and reciprocity in the global mobility network of S&T talents promote sustainable exchange and sharing of knowledge, information, and other academic resources within such a network. While the cross-border mobility of S&T talents has been widely studied, research on the complex network attributes of the global mobility network of S&T talents is limited. Moreover, quantifying global mobility of S&T talents on a large scale presents challenges. This research, based on extensive bibliometric data collected from the Scopus database spanning from 1950 to 2020, measures cross-border mobility of S&T talents by examining changes in their affiliations over time. The study identifies over 0.96 million cross-border mobility events generated by S&T talents located in China mainland, associated with 182 countries/regions, 5,282 cities, and more than 46 thousand institutions. The study employs complex network analysis methods and convergence cross mapping to measure the diversity and reciprocity of the global mobility network generated by China mainland's S&T talents and to explore the developmental trends of these two network characteristics. Considering four key dimensions of disparities in science and technology development between countries/regions, this research analyzes how such disparities influence the reciprocity of mobility of S&T talents between countries/regions. The study uncovers that the diversity and reciprocity of cross-border mobility networks generated by China mainland's S&T talents are continually strengthening. Research collaboration distance between nations/regions fosters reciprocal S&T talent mobility, while cognitive distance between nations/regions obstructs such reciprocity. This research provides several policy suggestions for enhancing the recruitment of overseas S&T talents to China mainland. Firstly, it is crucial to fully leverage the diverse and varied reserves of S&T human resources to stimulate the growth of disruptive innovation. Secondly, the reciprocity of S&T talents mobility between China mainland and other countries/regions is progressively intensifying. This indicates a diminishing trend in the one-way inflow and outflow of S&T talents, while brain circulation is increasingly noticeable. When it comes to attracting overseas S&T talents, policy emphasis should transition from merely seeking a large number of talents to enhancing the quality and optimizing the composition of talents. The reciprocity level in the cross-border mobility of S&T talents between China mainland and countries/regions with a significant cognitive distance, as well as those with close research collaboration, tends to be lower due to the absence of a common knowledge foundation or weak complementarity in terms of information, knowledge, perspectives, and academic resources. Implementing targeted talent exchange initiatives or specific policies for attracting talents can bolster the mobility of talents between China mainland and these countries/regions, thereby enhancing the reciprocity of talent mobility.
Diversity and reciprocity of mobility networks
The halo and spillover effects of the China patent award
Research on status-related "halo effects" and biases has extensively examined how recognition influences perceptions in various fields. This paper investigates the impact of status elevation on patent recognition following a prestigious award and explores related spillover effects. Specifically, we analyze how receiving the esteemed China Patent Award—a top-level national honor—affects the awarded patent’s citation rate and the spillover effects on the award recipient and related research domains. The China Patent Award, jointly administered by the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), is the most significant national-level award recognizing innovation within authorized patents. Established in 1989 and conferred annually since 2009, this award acknowledges inventions recommended by governmental bodies, intellectual property offices, and industry associations. Evaluative criteria for the award encompass four dimensions: (1) inventiveness, practicality, and text quality of the patent; (2) originality, significance, and applicability of the technology; (3) economic benefits, market share, and protection measures; and (4) social impact, influence within the industry, and alignment with national policy goals. To examine how status elevation affects recognition, we analyze the change in the number of annual forward citations before and after the award as an indicator of patent attention and perceived value. Focusing on the period four years before the award, the award year, and four years after the award, we use longitudinal citation data to assess changes due to the award’s influence. Our dataset includes invention patents awarded between 2007 and 2014, ensuring at least four years of post-award citation data. Additionally, we employ Propensity Score Matching (PSM) to match each awarded patent with a control patent filed in the same year, closely matched in quality, technological field, and pre-award citation rate. This approach enables a reliable comparison by minimizing differences in inherent patent quality, allowing us to isolate the impact of the award on citation outcomes. Our findings reveal a significant increase in citations for awarded patents, beginning in the award year and persisting for at least four years, indicating a sustained boost in visibility and valuation within the innovation ecosystem. This "halo effect" extends beyond the awarded patent, positively affecting the award recipient’s broader work within the awarded patent’s field. For the awardees, this recognition increases the visibility and perceived importance of their research, particularly in the awarded patent’s domain. Conversely, this spillover effect is weaker for the recipient’s patents in unrelated fields, suggesting that the halo effect is domain-specific. We also investigate whether this status effect extends to patents in adjacent fields. Using primary International Patent Classification (IPC) codes and a machine-learning-based similarity index, we identify patents closely related to the awarded patents. Both methods confirm that the award generates positive spillover effects on similar patents, with the intensity of the effect correlating with the degree of similarity: the closer a patent’s content is to the awarded patent, the stronger the positive spillover effect it experiences. This finding suggests that status elevation from patent awards not only enhances attention to the awarded patents but also indirectly benefits other patents within similar research areas. Overall, our study demonstrates that the status elevation from receiving the China Patent Award not only raises the recognition and valuation of the awarded patent itself but also significantly enhances the profile of the recipient and positively impacts patents within related fields. These results highlight the potential for government-led awards to act as policy tools, providing recognition that promotes broader research and development within strategically significant fields. By strategically recognizing patents, governments may effectively guide and support innovation in targeted areas, leveraging awards as mechanisms for encouraging scientific advancement and fostering growth within high-priority sectors.
Research on the current status and countermeasures of research ethics in retracted literature
In the current landscape of scientific research, the rampant occurrence of ethical lapses has evolved into a formidable global predicament. This study, with the Retraction Watch Database (RWD) as its cornerstone, embarked on a comprehensive and profound exploration of the extant situation, distinctive characteristics, and efficacious governance strategies concerning ethical misconduct within retracted papers. The RWD, renowned for its extensive coverage and updates in the domain of retraction information, furnished an invaluable data reservoir for this investigative endeavor. The research methodology entailed the meticulous crafting of a Python crawler program, which was deployed to extract papers bearing a retraction status as of December 31, 2023. Through a painstaking and detailed data analysis process, a multitude of crucial facets were scrutinized. These encompassed the chronological distribution of retractions, the geographical provenance and authorial origins, the associations with journals and publishers, the disciplinary dispersion, and the fundamental causative factors underlying retractions. The study's revelations were both significant and thought-provoking. It was ascertained that the tally of retractions stemming from ethical misconduct has experienced a remarkable upsurge since 2019. China, in particular, emerged as the nation with the highest number of retractions, dwarfing that of other countries, trailed by the United States, Japan, Germany, and Russia. The preponderant triggers for retractions encompassed the dearth of ethical approvals for human and animal experiments, infringements of authorial ethical norms, and the non-existence of patient informed consent. Among the top 10 retracted journals, the lion's share was affiliated with Hindawi Publishing and predominantly belonged to the SCIE Q2 and Q3 open access category. The disciplinary distribution of retracted papers was conspicuously skewed towards the health sciences and basic life sciences. The characteristics of ethical misconduct in retractions manifested themselves in diverse and intricate ways. To begin with, it has crystallized into a global concern, with China occupying the unenviable position of the epicenter in terms of retraction volume. Secondly, SCIE Q2 and Q3 open access journals, in tandem with Hindawi Publishing, functioned as the principal conduits for such retractions. Thirdly, there were pronounced disparities in the magnitude of ethical misconduct across diverse disciplines, with medicine and life sciences bearing the brunt. Lastly, the causative factors for retractions were not only diverse but also intertwined with other forms of academic misconduct, presenting a complex web of issues. In response to the high prevalence of retractions due to ethical misconduct in China, the study put forth a series of well-targeted and comprehensive governance strategies. Paramount among these was the imperative to fortify the construction of the scientific and technological ethics governance system. This entailed the seamless integration of legal regulations, normative standards, and self-imposed ethical constraints. Concurrently, the implementation and augmentation of ethical regulation throughout the entire life cycle of scientific research activities, spanning from the inception of a project to its implementation and ultimate publication, was deemed of utmost importance. Moreover, the need to deepen the reform of the scientific research management and academic evaluation mechanisms was emphasized to cultivate a salubrious research milieu. By effectuating these strategies, the study aspired to foster responsible scientific research and reinforce the governance framework of scientific and technological ethics.
Ethical misconduct in scientific research
Scientific and technological ethics governance
Research on the construction and risk identification of Large Language Model industrial innovation ecosystem
This paper investigates the construction logic and risk profile of the Large Language Model (LLM) industrial innovation ecosystem in the context of accelerated AI-driven transformation. Drawing on innovation ecosystem and platform economy theory, we first decompose the LLM ecosystem into four core subsystems: foundational layer (computing power, data, basic models), application layer (vertical fine-tuned models and scenario solutions), support layer (tools, MLOps, evaluation and security services) and governance layer (standards, regulation, ethics and governance bodies). On this basis, we construct an ecosystem framework featuring “platform–complementor–user–governor” multi-actor collaboration, and clarify the key mechanisms of value co-creation, data feedback, and iterative innovation. Further, we develop a risk identification scheme covering five categories: technological risk (hallucination, robustness, controllability), data and security risk (privacy, leakage, abuse), economic risk (platform monopoly and crowding-out of SMEs), social and ethical risk (bias, misinformation, labour displacement), and systemic governance risk (regulatory lag and fragmented supervision). The paper argues that high-intensity coupling among actors amplifies both innovation efficiency and systemic vulnerability, requiring a shift from “single-firm risk control” to “ecosystem-level resilient governance”. Finally, policy and managerial implications are proposed for building a safe, open and sustainable LLM industrial innovation ecosystem.
New urbanization, technology spillover and digital economy development
This paper investigates the intrinsic links between new urbanization, technology spillover and digital economy development, and reveals how spatial restructuring driven by people-centered urbanization reshapes regional innovation and industrial upgrading. Drawing on panel data of prefecture-level cities and applying spatial econometric models, we first examine the direct impact of new urbanization on the scale and quality of the digital economy. The results show that improvements in population agglomeration, public services and green infrastructure significantly promote digital产业 expansion and structural optimization. Further analysis confirms that technology spillover is a key transmission mechanism: new urbanization enhances the intensity of innovation interactions, facilitates the flow of knowledge and data across regions, and strengthens both intra-urban and inter-urban spillover effects, thereby amplifying the growth of the digital economy. Heterogeneity tests indicate that this promoting effect is more pronounced in megacities, city clusters and regions with higher human capital and digital infrastructure. The study enriches the theoretical understanding of how new urbanization supports high-quality digital development, and provides policy implications for coordinating urban planning, innovation policy and digital infrastructure deployment to build an inclusive, efficient and sustainable digital economy.
The transfer characteristics of the world technological activities center countries: The perspective of patent big data analysis
Based on the world scientific center transfer theory, this study quantitatively explores the transfer characteristics of the world technological activities center countries in a long time series from the perspective of nation. The patent big data of 50 major countries/regions from 1970 to 2020 is selected as the analysis object, and on the basis of sorting out and deconstructing six analytical dimensions that reveal different aspects of the pattern evolution of world technological activities, characteristic parameters are introduced and a decision matrix is constructed to achieve the quantitative definition of the world technological activities center countries. From six analytical dimensions, the transfer characteristics of the world technological activities center countries are quantified and summarized. The results of the study show that the world technological activities center countries exhibit the following transfer characteristics during 1970-2020: (1) There exists a phenomenon of center countries transfer in the world technological activities. Since 1970, the phenomenon of center countries transfer is prevalent, no matter the traditional technology output activities, or various kinds of transnational technology exchange activities under the background of globalization, no matter the main center countries or the sub-center countries. (2) The transfer speed of the world technological activities center countries is gradually accelerating. Compared with the ultra-long technology prosperity period of over a century in ancient and the period from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century, the transfer speed of modern technology activities center countries has been significantly accelerated, and the technology prosperity period has been reduced to a time scale of several decades, and it may be further accelerated in the future. (3) The central strength of the world technological activities center countries is generally low and shows a trend of further decline. This indicates that the dominant position maintained by the current center countries in the technological activities is gradually diminishing, the concentration degree in the technological activities is gradually decreasing, which is a specific manifestation of multipolarity in the world order in the technological activities field. (4) For the present and the foreseeable future, the competition for the world technological activities center countries may mainly be fiercely contested among the United States, Japan and China. The United States is still the country that occupies the largest number and longest time of various technological activities centers, but its dominant position is diminishing. Japan is the country that occupies the second longest duration of various technological activities centers, maintaining a dominant position for a long time in a certain analytical perspective. China has recently succeeded in joining the ranks of the center countries with a significant increase in the number of technology outputs, and has enormous potential for future development.
World technological activities center countries
Research on the influence of coopetition capabilities on firms' digital transformation performance
Achieving firms' digital transformation success during coopetition has become the focus of academia and industry. Based on dynamic capability theory, we introduce three dimensions of coopetition capabilities (Coopetition Mindset (CM), Analytical Acumen (AA) and Executional Skills (ES)) as key drivers in firms' digital transformation performance (DTP), and further discuss the roles of the digital atmosphere of coopetition (DAC) and the digital technology embedding adaptability (DTEA). By analyzing the questionnaire data of 196 strategic emerging industries in Southwest China, we find that CM, AA and ES positively impact DTP. The DAC enhances the positive effect of CM on DTP, while the DTEA enhances the positive impact of ES on DTP; digital transformation, as well as provide useful insights for managers on how to pursue better firms' digital transformation performance in cooperation.
Digital technology embedding adaptability
Mission - oriented governance reform of national research institutions: Origin, dilemma and approach
In the context of technological competition among major countries, the mission-oriented innovation has become a crucial policy approach to addressing “major challenges”. As important players to implement mission-oriented innovation, national research institutions urgently need to promote the mission-oriented governance reforms. Based on the analytical framework of multiple institutional conflicts under the decentralization of authority among research organizations, the paper analyzes the conflicts among government, research institutions and researchers. It discusses the real dilemma of national research institutions as their missions lose focus and proposes the reform approach for these institutions by using international experience for reference. The study indicates that since the reform and opening-up, China’s research institutions have generally shifted from centralized management in the planned economy era to decentralized research management involving multiple players, leading to multiple institutional logic conflicts between formal and informal institutions and weakening the institutional foundation crucial for the operation of a “mission-oriented” logic. To reform the management system of national research institutions in the new era, it is necessary to coordinate the relationship among the government, research institutions and researchers, establish a multi- governance structure, strengthen the collaboration among multiple players, reinforce institutionalized research organizations, and implement performance target management. This will create a “closed-loop” management path where the government ensures resource support and performance constraints while national research institutions independently organize activities of scientific research.
Analysis of the Correlation between Scientific and Technological Talent Structure and Scientific and Technological Output Efficiency - A Case Study of Shenzhen City
In the long run, the growth of scientific and technological output depends more on the improvement of scientific and technological output efficiency than the increase of scientific and technological input. The hierarchical structure of scientific and technological talents plays an important role in the efficiency of scientific and technological output. This paper uses the Malmquist index research method based on DEA to dynamically measure the efficiency of scientific and technological output and its decomposition index in Shenzhen, and analyzes the correlation between the measurement results and the changes in the number of scientific and technological talents at all levels in Shenzhen. The study finds that the second level of scientific and technological talents and the efficiency of scientific and technological output show a strong significant correlation, while the top and bottom levels of scientific and technological talents have no significant correlation. The formulation of science and technology and talent policies should refer to the measurement results for hierarchical and targeted talent introduction.
Scientific and technological output efficiency
Ethics and Governance of Human Brain Organoids Research and Application
Human brain organoids provide a high-quality model for exploring mechanisms of the cognition, development and disease in the human brain. However, while triggering a revolutionary leap in human brain biomedical research, it will also trigger a series of new crises in life technology ethics and new challenges in classical ethical issues, mainly involving moral status of human brain organoids, moral humanization of animal/non-living entity and ethical issues related to human brain organoids biobanks. Based on ethical norms analysis, it is recommended to analyze the above-mentioned ethical dilemmas in depth and classify human brain organoids research and application for ethical governance: conduct routine reviews for low-risk research and applications, and add expert review procedures for high-risk research and applications.It also calls for the research community to collaborate, fully discuss, and jointly review in order to solve the ‘Colin Grinch dilemma’ and guide responsible innovation in human brain organoids research and application.
Ethical Risks of the Generative Information Privacy Divide
In the era of generative AI, the privacy crisis is intensifying. Current research primarily focuses on new methods of privacy invasion brought about by large models and their countermeasures, yet there is scarce attention to the more fundamental issue of the generative information privacy divide. This refers to the gap between the "ought" and the "is" of individual informational privacy, exacerbated by the predictive analytical capabilities and generative functions of multi-modal large models. These technologies enhance the privacy awareness and manipulation power of TA (human and machine agents), resulting in individuals facing a widening disparity in their enjoyment of information privacy. This concept helps to more intuitively reveal the "entanglement" between AI technology, privacy subjects, and privacy itself. The generative information privacy divide may lead to ontological privacy alienation, epistemological cognitive reification, and praxeological behavior "domestication". The key to addressing these issues lies in two main strategies: Firstly, achieving three major paradigm shifts in regulation; Secondly, a tripartite governance approach that simultaneously employs heteronomy, technonomy, and autonomy.
Privacy alienation and cognitive reification
Heteronomy–technonomy–autonomy governance
Generative AI era privacy regulation paradigms
Can the innovation-driven development strategy help cultivate new quality productivity? An empirical test based on continuous difference-in-differences.
In the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial change, relying on innovation driven has become the proper meaning and key way to cultivate new quality productivity. The article takes the promulgation of the Outline of the National Innovation Driven Development Strategy as a quasi-natural experiment, selects the panel data of 31 provinces in China from 2010 to 2022, and adopts the continuous DID method to explore the impact effect and transmission mechanism of the National Innovation Driven Development Strategy on the cultivation of new quality productivity.The study finds that: (1) The implementation of the national innovation driven development strategy significantly boosts the cultivation of new quality productivity in regions, and this conclusion remains valid after a series of rigorous robustness tests; (2)The results of the mechanism test show that the national innovation driven development strategy mainly contributes to the cultivation of new quality productivity by promoting market development and information technology;(3) Expansion analyses show that there is an obvious unevenness in the boosting effect of the national innovation-driven development strategy on new quality productivity. Compared to the central and western regions and regions with lower human capital, the eastern region and regions with higher human capital can draw more benefits from strategic implementation. This paper theoretically extends the relevant research on the influencing factors of new quality productivity, and practically provides empirical guidance for the implementation of the innovation driven development strategy and the acceleration of the development of new quality productivity.
National innovation-driven development strategy
Research on Strategic Intellectual Property Management for New Tracks of Future Industries: Taking Quantum Computing as an Example
Future industries usually refer to industries at the forefront of science and technology and emerging technologies, with great development potential and the ability to lead future economic and social changes. In the development of future industries, how to effectively reduce high uncertainty, clarify ambiguous information, and define clear goals is the key to promote synergy, scenario development, and resource integration, in which strategic intellectual property management plays an important role. Taking the new track of quantum computing as an example, this paper analyses the whole chain of "creative conception - technological innovation - product R&D - industrial ecology construction" of future industries on the one hand, and explores the role of strategic intellectual property management in it on the other hand, and arrives at three levels of research results. Firstly, there is a "fuzzy front end" in the opening up of new tracks of future industries, and efficient strategic intellectual property management is needed to support the process from the generation and screening of creative ideas to the initial formation of concepts, in which strategic intellectual property planning and management plays the role of "adhesive". Secondly, the technology development of the new track of the future industry requires the formation of a collaborative innovation ecosystem among all parties, in which the target management of IP portfolio plays the role of "catalyst". Finally, the development of new tracks in future industries requires all parties to promote the synergy between the innovation chain and the industrial chain, in which strategic IP management plays the role of "lubricant". The superposition of these three roles drives the acceleration of the new track of future industries.
Strategic intellectual property management
Innovation chain–industrial chain synergy
Can Moral Enhancement Address Humanity’s Existential Threats?
Moral enhancement refers to the use of technologies, such as biomedical interventions or artificial intelligence (AI), to improve an individual’s moral motivation or cognitive capacities, thereby fostering moral development and addressing humanity’s existential crises like ecological degradation and terrorism. This topic has become one of the most popular in contemporary applied ethics. In contrast to applied ethics, a significant trend in normative ethics is the study of moral progress, which examines how society as a whole can improve morally. Although closely related, research on social moral progress and individual moral enhancement rarely cross-reference each other. However, the goal of moral enhancement can only be achieved through the moral progress of society as a whole, and social moral progress, in turn, depends on individuals developing relevant motivations and cognitive capacities. This article aims to bridge these two areas, arguing that only by promoting overall moral progress in society – establishing moral principles and distribution systems that place greater emphasis on equality – can humanity’s existential crises be alleviated, and moral enhancement has a unique role within this framework. While technological advancements have brought unprecedented benefits to human society, they have also led to unique ethical dilemmas of our time. Excessive consumerism has resulted in climate degradation and resource depletion, and high-tech terrorism poses an existential threat to humanity. This article argues that these ethical challenges, at its core, stem from the growing socioeconomic inequality created by the market economy in the context of the technological revolution. To address these ethical issues at their root, we argue, there is an urgent need for societal reforms to establish a more equitable distribution system. The success of such reforms depends on transforming moral principles. Therefore, we argue that it is necessary to envision and advocate for new moral ideals that place a higher value on equality, driving improvements in prevailing ethical standards. Social moral progress requires the support of individual moral advancement. Only when a sufficient number of individuals make decisions based on these new moral ideals and act consistently can a new moral system be established and sustained. Consequently, we argue that moral enhancement, as an efficient means of promoting individual moral progress through technological support, may not independently resolve the ethical dilemmas of our era, but it can play a crucial role in this process. The article first reviews the ultimate goals and methods of various types of moral enhancement, briefly assessing their limitations in terms of effectiveness and morality. Next, it argues that the root cause of humanity’s existential crises lies in the extreme economic and social inequality in the technological era, and that without a more equitable distribution system, moral enhancement – even if it overcomes its current flaws – cannot independently resolve this structural issue. The third section advocates for establishing moral ideals that prioritize equality to guide society toward greater fairness. Finally, the article argues that while moral enhancement has unique value in mitigating existential crises, it must be guided by moral ideals, selecting and refining enhancement methods that support a moral system of equal and fair distribution.
Technological revolution and distributive justice