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"Study and Implement the Spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Communist Party of China(CPC) Central Committee" Column

Mechanisms of Collaboration Among Innovation Actors in En⁃ hancing the Efficiency of the National Innovation System 

Lyu Lachang1, 2 , Li Mingjing1 

(1.College of Resource, Environment and Tourism, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China; 2.Beijing Research Center for Urban Innovation and Development, Beijing 100048, China)

Abstract: Against the backdrop of global open innovation and digital transformation, innova⁃ tion activities have increasingly exhibited characteristics of networking, openness, and multiactor collaboration. Consequently, the efficiency of national innovation systems depends not only  on the scale of innovation inputs but also on knowledge sharing, resource integration, and institu⁃ tional coordination among innovation actors. This study argues that collaboration among innova⁃ tion actors facilitates the integration of innovation resources and strengthens innovation network  linkages, thereby enhancing the operational efficiency of national innovation systems through  knowledge flows and institutional coordination. In this framework, knowledge spillovers repre⁃ sent the mechanisms of knowledge sharing, technology diffusion, and innovation resource flows  generated through  collaborative interactions among innovation actors, whereas policy coordination reflects the  mechanisms of institutional environment optimization, innovation governance coordination, and  regulatory consistency. Together, these two mechanisms constitute the key transmission path⁃ ways through which collaboration among innovation actors affects national innovation system effi⁃ ciency. From the perspective of collaboration among innovation actors, this study develops a  theoretical framework to explore the underlying mechanisms through which collaboration among  innovation actors influences national innovation system efficiency. Using data from the Global In⁃ novation Index (GII) published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) for the  period 2017-2024, an indicator system is constructed to measure collaboration among innova⁃ tion actors, knowledge spillovers, policy coordination, and national innovation system efficiency. The Bootstrap mediation effect approach is employed to examine both the direct effect of collabo⁃ ration among innovation actors on national innovation system efficiency and the mediating roles  of knowledge spillovers and policy coordination. The empirical results reveal three major find⁃ ings. First, collaboration among innovation actors exerts a significant positive effect on national  innovation system efficiency. Higher levels of collaborative interaction among innovation actors  contribute significantly to improving the operational efficiency of national innovation systems. Second, both knowledge spillovers and policy coordination play significant mediating roles in the  relationship between collaboration among innovation actors and national innovation system effi⁃ ciency. This finding indicates that collaboration among innovation actors enhances system effi⁃ ciency not only by promoting knowledge sharing, technology diffusion, and innovation resource flows, but also by improving institutional coordination and the innovation governance environ⁃ ment. Third, the strengths of the two mediating mechanisms differ. The mediating effect of knowl⁃ edge spillovers is stronger than that of policy coordination, suggesting that knowledge flows and  innovation network linkages constitute a more direct pathway through which collaboration among  innovation actors improves national innovation system efficiency, whereas policy coordination  mainly provides institutional support and governance safeguards for innovation activities. The  findings suggest that improving national innovation system efficiency depends not only on in⁃ creasing innovation resource inputs but also on strengthening collaborative interactions among  innovation actors, enhancing knowledge flow capacities, and improving institutional coordina⁃ tion. These efforts are essential for promoting the efficient allocation of innovation resources and  fostering the coordinated operation of national innovation systems. 

Key words: collaboration among innovation actors; national innovation system efficiency; knowledge spillover; policy coordination; mediation effect; open innovation; innovation gover⁃ nance; Global Innovation Index