High-tech Zone Independent Innovation and Core Competitiveness

Author: Sun Wansong / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: The construction and development of high-tech zones are important markers of China's successful reform and opening-up. After more than a decade of development, high-tech zones have played a and driving role in enhancing the core competitiveness of cities and the comprehensive competitiveness of the nation. However, high-tech zones still face numerous challenges, with a prominent issue being that their independent innovation systems are still in the process of gradual improvement, and their core competitiveness needs further enhancement. This book introduces the historical evolution of global science parks and the current development status of China's high-tech zones. Based on extensive research and drawing on previous studies, it proposes the "CIT Model" and "CIT Law" for the core competitiveness of high-tech zones driven by independent innovation, and establishes an evaluation index system based on the "CIT Model." It conducts empirical analysis on 53 national high-tech zones and offers policy recommendations for their future development. The main research content and innovations of this book include:
(1) This book is the first to propose the "CIT Model" and "CIT Law" for the development of high-tech zones. After reflecting on the development of high-tech zones, the book argues that their development must inevitably go through four stages: "original accumulation, diversified development, stable development, and innovative breakthrough." The main competitive factors that highlight advantages are "resources, environment, brand, and culture," while the innovation models mainly include "point innovation, line innovation, area innovation, and network innovation." Together, the competitive factors (Competence), innovation models (Innovation), and development stages (Time) form the "CIT Three-Dimensional Interactive Model" of high-tech zone core competitiveness. Further, the CIT Law of high-tech zone core competitiveness can be stated as follows: Under different dimensions, as the openness of the independent innovation system increases, the evolution of various functional elements "becomes softer," the tension of dimensions gradually strengthens, and the core competitiveness index continues to rise.
(2) This book establishes the first evaluation index system for the core competitiveness of high-tech zones based on the "CIT Model," adhering to the principle of "complying with national strategies, facing urban core competitiveness, and serving enterprise technological innovation." Based on surveys of more than 70 high-tech zones in China and abroad, over 100 experts, and more than 200 enterprises, the book applies research methods such as theory and practice, qualitative and quantitative analysis, and draws on evaluation index systems from high-tech zones worldwide. Using the grey relational method, it establishes an evaluation index system for the core competitiveness of high-tech zones based on the "CIT Model," which includes three levels and 45 secondary indicators. It conducts empirical analysis and evaluates core competitiveness from three aspects: intensive development and environmental strength, independent innovation and brand strength, and park harmony and cultural strength.
(3) This book is the first to propose the "Law of Brand Quantity Change" for high-tech zones and the "Brand Ladder" strategy for achieving leapfrog breakthroughs. In response to the evolution trends of international science parks and the requirements of China's "11th Five-Year Plan," the book proposes the construction of independent innovation-driven brand parks. It also suggests that high-tech zones in different regions should complete the "brand transformation" from "enterprise brand → brand enterprise → industry brand → brand industry → park brand → brand park" at different levels. Additionally, it proposes establishing a "Brand Capital BCS System" for high-tech zones, including elements such as brand technology, brand industry, brand talent, and brand culture, to enhance the strength of climbing the "Brand Ladder" and achieve leapfrog development.
(4) This book studies the innovation models of high-tech zones and proposes four innovation models: "point innovation, line innovation, area innovation, and network innovation." At the beginning of high-tech zone construction, the development model is closed and scattered, with innovation being more intuitive, divergent, and nonlinear. As infrastructure and other resource factors improve, the closed state is broken, and innovation levels rise, gradually transitioning to line innovation, with more rational factors. When the closedness of the park decreases and openness becomes dominant, area innovation becomes the main model, significantly enhancing the systematic nature of park innovation and the contribution of innovation to core competitiveness and economic growth. The final model is network innovation, where the ability to achieve leapfrog breakthroughs in an open global network environment depends on whether the park can prioritize network innovation as its main strategy.
(5) This book proposes a model for the independent innovation system of high-tech zones. It identifies the key stakeholders of the independent innovation system of high-tech zones while analyzing its systemic characteristics based on "resources, environment, brand, and culture." It argues that the independent innovation system of high-tech zones must achieve strategic alliances and interactions among "government, industry, academia, research institutions, intermediaries, and capital," and highlights the key focus areas of these interactions.