Cooperative innovation subnetworks in the Chinese new energy vehicle industry: structure and coordination

ABSTRACT

The overall synergy of technical-link-based cooperative innovation has the potential to drive industrial competitiveness, yet there is a gap in the knowledge of the cooperative innovation subnetworks based on various key technical links in a modular manufacturing industry. This study scrutinised the structure and coordination of three key technical-link-based subnetworks in the Chinese NEV industry by an empirical analysis based on joint patent data from 2009 to 2019 and a composite coordination measurement model. The findings indicate that the cooperative relationship within the three sub-networks all become closer to the obvious ‘core-periphery’ structure since 2016, with a downward trend in network density. The coordination of the three subnetworks has gradually changed from an uncoordinated degree to a low-coordinated degree, and the battery technology subnetwork has a generally lower-order degree. Some suggestions for improving the overall coordination are provided. Our study contributes to a better understanding of cooperation network dynamics with a lens of improving the balance in structural properties from technical-link-based subnetworks in a modular manufacturing industry.

KEYWORDS:

• cooperative innovation
• network structure
• composite system
• coordination

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected 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 72074200]; National Social Science Fund of China [grant number 18BJL043]; National Social Science Foundation of China [grant number 21BGL037].

Notes on contributors

Wenjian Li

Wenjian Li (Ph.D.) is an assistant professor in the School of Management at Jiangsu University in China. She got her PhD degree in Management Science and Engineering from the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2006, and her research interest mainly lies in innovation management and industrial economy.

Liangping Dai

Liangping Dai is a master’s student in business administration at Jiangsu University in China.

Yuanyuan Wu

Yuanyuan Wu (Ph.D.) is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Orillia Business Administration at Lakehead University in Canada. Her research focuses on the technological synergies among capability development, entrepreneurship and alliance networks, and she has over 10 years of experience in corporate innovation and entrepreneurship.

Xiu Qinxu

Xiu qinxu is a researcher from the National Energy Conservation Center in China. His research interest lies in the energy industry and energy conservation technology.

Gang Xie

Gang Xie (Ph.D.) is an assistant professor in the School of Management at Jiangsu University in China. Research interests include innovation cooperative innovation and patent alliances.