Improving the innovation ability of engineering students: a Science and Technology Innovation Community organisation network analysis

ABSTRACT

Science and Technology Innovation Communities (STICs) are student-led partnerships that bring together businesses, research centres, and university staff. They constitute an effective way of promoting student innovation ability. However, the students’ position within the STICs organisation network may condition how their innovation ability is effectively acquired. Using Social Network Analysis (SNA), this study measures how the STICs organisation network promotes the innovation ability of its actors. The paper finds that network centrality and structural holes of the STICs organisation network are positively correlated with student innovation ability. The results are validated through robustness tests in three different STICs, involving engineering students from China’s Chang’an University. Semi-structured interviews are also conducted with 20 relevant actors of STICs. The conclusion suggests that a higher involvement of core actors, more support from schools, and more restrictive entry requirements are necessary to improve the organisation management and training level of engineering students in STICs.

KEYWORDS:

• Engineering education
• innovation ability
• social network analysis
• Science and Technology Innovation Community (STIC)
• student development

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 71301013]; Humanity and Social Science Program Foundation of the Ministry of Education of China [grant number 17YJA790091]; List of Key Science and Technology Projects in China’s Transportation Industry in 2018-International Science and Technology Cooperation Project [grant number 2018-GH-006]; Fundamental Research for Funds for the Central Universities (Humanities and Social Sciences) [grant number 300102239616], Chang’an University [grant number 300102418659]; Education Funding of Master of Engineering Management in China [grant number 2017-ZX-004]; Xi’an Social Science Fund [grant number 18J139]; Shaanxi Province Civil Engineering ‘first-class professional’ project [grant numbers 300103292804 and 300103282803]; Xi’an Construction Science and Technology Planning Project [grant number SJW201705]; Shaanxi Province Higher Education Teaching Reform Project [grant number 17BZ017]; Shaanxi Social Science Fund [grant numbers 2017S004 and 2016ZB017]; Xi’an Science Technology Bureau Fund [grant number 201805070RK1SF4(6)]; Fundamental Research for Funds for the Central Universities, Chang’an University [grant number 300102238201]; Fundamental Research for Education Reform of Central College, Chang’an University [grant numbers 300104282301, 300104282318 and 300104282323]; Special Fund for Graduate Student Education Reform of Central College, Chang’an University [grant numbers 300111002005, 300103187091 and 310628161406]. Xi’an Science Technology Bureau Fund Construction Science and Technology Planning Project Social Science Fund.