Mapping the structural evolution of intercity patent transfer constrained by space: a case study of China

ABSTRACT

The patent transfer (PT) has been an essential means of technological catch-up and control for countries and regions. The development and diffusion of PT is influenced by space and network. Analyzing China’s patent transfer network (PTN) from 2001 to 2020 through spatial and complex network analysis, we found that the PTN became denser with significant Matthew effect, hierarchical and small-world properties. Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen remained as national hubs, while new hubs like Suzhou, Guangzhou, Foshan, and Hangzhou, acting as intermediates, emerged. Network communities become more homogenised and geographically clustered due to the resonance effect. There was a shift from disperse hubs to spatial agglomerations, with the construction of long-distance shortcuts breaking spatial constraints on intercity patent transfer.

KEYWORDS:

• Patent transfer
• spatial diffusion
• first-move advantage
• resonance effect

Disclosure statement

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

Data availability statement

The data is available on request as there is another ongoing research.

Additional information

Funding

This paper is jointly supported by Major Program of National Philosophy and Social Science Foundation of China [Grant Number 23&ZD068], National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant Number 42171420, 42071154], the Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai, China [Grant Number 21ZR1421100], and the Soft Science Research Program of Shanghai, China [Grant Number 22692108000].

Notes on contributors

Bihong Yang

Bihong Yang is a master student at the State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China. Her research interests include urban analytics and GIS modeling.

Hong Zhang

Hong Zhang is an associate professor at the School of Geographic Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China. Her research interests include spatial complexity, urban geography, and multi-scale modeling.

Fei Fan

Fei Fan is a professor at the School of Economics and Management, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China. His research interests include regional economy and development.

Ruijie Huang

Ruijie Huang is a master student at Tongji University, Shanghai, China. His research interests include geostatistics and remote sensing image fusion.