Research on the Synergy Between Innovation Ability of Universities

Research on the Synergy Between Innovation Ability of Universities
and Regional Innovation System
DONG Yuhong1,2
1. School of Management, Henan University of Technology, P.R. China, 450001
2. School of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, P.R.China,
430070
[email protected]
：
Abstract Universities represent an important force in regional innovation system. Based on science and
education, universities can be integrated into the regional community system, which contributes to
promote synergic development between technology innovation ability and regional innovation system,
improve the regional innovation system and strengthen the construction of technology innovation
platform, facilitate the transfer of universities innovation ability. All these play a significant role in
upgrading the country's overall ability of independent innovation. This paper discusses the problem of
synergy between technology innovation ability of universities and regional innovation system.
Keywords: universities, regional innovation system, synergy innovation
1. Introduction
It is shown by the history of science and technology that many major scientific and technological
breakthroughs which have a profound impact on people’s mode of production and lifestyles that arise in
universities. Therefore, in the construction of our technical innovation system, which is enterprise-based,
market-oriented, and combination of enterprise-Universities-institute, local universities are the backbone
that can not be ignored. With the functions evolution of universities, local universities, gradually shift
from simply focusing on the production and transmission of knowledge and research and development
of new technological achievements to a multifunctional unity with achievement transfer and pilotscale
experiment, derivative enterprise, business consulting and training and other functions in regional
economy development, Thus it has great influence on the structure, competition and development
strategy of industrial clusters in local region, moreover, it affects the integration of regional economy
development and technological innovation.
2. Innovation Ability of Universities
Connotation of innovation concept refers to an activity in which new things are created or under
particular circumstances, certain creation is introduced into some social organization system to obtain
comprehensive benefits. Innovative activities can be divided into four basic types, i.e. consciousness
innovation, technological innovation, system innovation and management innovation. Generally
speaking, innovation ability refers to the ability of innovation body to obtain and integrate innovation
resources, and the ability to produce innovation achievement on this basis. Corresponding to the basic
types of innovation activity, innovation ability is divided into four types: consciousness innovation
ability, technological innovation ability, system innovation ability and management innovation ability.
Innovation ability of universities refers to the ability to optimize the allocation of internal and external
resources to carry out consciousness innovation, technological innovation, system innovation and
management innovation to obtain comprehensive benefits. To be specific, innovation ability of
universities mainly includes ability of culture innovation, knowledge innovation, technological
innovation, innovative personnel training and organizational innovation, etc. They epitomize the overall
strength of local universities and they are an important component part of the regional innovation ability,
or even national innovation ability system.
The innovation ability of universities is mainly demonstrated through technological innovation platform.
Innovation Platform actually refers to the scientific and technological innovation base, and their specific
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forms include public technology promotion center, engineering technology research center, key
laboratories etc. The technological platform of universities is a scientific and technological innovation
base which is oriented to major demands of local socio-economic development, school self-development
as well as subject development and so on, motivated by system innovation and mechanism innovation of
research institutions. Together with the advantage in resources of science, technology, talent, discipline
and many other aspects, this platform serves for talent training and scientific research in universities,
promotes original scientific research achievements and integrates the acquisition of innovation and
scientific payoffs. The system of scientific and technological innovation platform of universities
epitomizes the comprehensive qualities of Universities teachers and researchers, innovation
infrastructure, innovative institutional arrangements, innovative environment and cultivating quality of
innovation talents etc., and embodies the university’s comprehensive innovation ability. Therefore, in
the regional innovation system, enterprises and universities are important innovation activities bodies,
and whether both can carry out effective innovative interaction is an important characterization for the
operation of regional innovation system
3 Innovation Platforms of Universities are an Important Component of Regional
Innovation System
There are basically four elements in the scientific and technological innovation system. Universities and
research institutions are the innovation source of regional innovation system and the subject of
knowledge transmission; enterprises are the innovation subject; the government plays a role in resource
allocation, guidance and support; intermediary organs are a major junction. Besides, the flow of
knowledge and technology is the key to regional innovation system. Universities play an important role
in leading and supporting the regional innovation system. They need to actively develop the resources of
social services, take the initiative to merge into the regional innovation system and form interaction
among their own technological innovation and regional economic development, local scientific and
technological progress, and the community culture construction. The scientific and technological force
of universities should exert their effects of leadership and radiation in regional scientific and
technological innovation to truly become a regional cultivating base for the high-quality talents as well
as an important carrier and platform in original innovation, technology transfer and achievement
conversion in the region. Universities should upgrade the ability of independent innovation, set up a
service innovation system, construct an information platform and carry out talents cultivating, scientific
research, and extension of new technologies as well as science popularization activities
The innovation platform system in universities is an effective support to stimulate the development of
regional innovation system and the transfer of innovation ability for enterprises. Due to the fact that
universities are an effective force in the scientific and technological innovation group, the innovation
system in universities, as a vital force in the regional innovation system, not only serves for the
cultivation of talents, research on science and construction of subjects, but also serves as a significant
carrier for enterprises to transfer their independent innovation ability. Universities assemble a larger size
of scientific and technological innovation resources, possess stronger innovation ability and produce
plentiful scientific fruits. By integrating the internal and external resources, universities have established
many types of fundamental innovation platforms, such as integrated innovation platform of high-tech,
knowledge innovation platform with sharing resources, and cooperative innovation platform of
self-organization ability and technology transfer innovation platform which directly caters to social
demands. Establishment of sound technological innovation platforms provides essential fundamental
conditions and sites for enterprises to transfer their innovation ability, which not only improves the
innovation ability of universities themselves and technological system platforms, but also means a lot to
achieve synergy of innovation system between universities and local regions innovation system. Only
the synergy of innovation system is constructed, can the universities transfer their innovation ability, can
they make best of their innovation resources in improving their own independent innovation ability, can
they be likely to become the real innovation mainstay .
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4 Disequilibrium Between the Innovation Ability of Universities and Regional
Innovation System
At present the independent innovation system of China is incomplete, and innovation resources,
innovation ability, and information distribution are of disequilibrium. When disequilibrium phenomenon
comes to universities and enterprises, it demonstrates in two types: structural disequilibrium and
functional disequilibrium. The direct consequence of the interaction of the two types is the absence of
innovation interface between universities and enterprises, which reduces the efficiency of national
scientific and technological resources distribution and impedes the cultivation and development of
regional innovation system.
In terms of the disequilibrium phenomenon between universities and enterprises, structural
disequilibrium refers to the fact that due to the inadequate ability of R&D of enterprises, the
technological innovation activities of enterprises are seriously impeded, besides that the research ability
of local universities are not fully developed, and an obvious asymmetry of innovation resources
information exists between enterprises and local universities. Functional disequilibrium mainly aims at
the weakness of functional linkage between the innovation system of universities and that of enterprises,
i.e., functional impediment exists between the two systems. Functional disequilibrium results in low
efficiency of transferring rate of scientific fruit while enterprises fail to absorb and digest the innovation
resources of universities innovation system and can not improve their independent innovation ability by
using the external provision from universities.
Structural disequilibrium and functional disequilibrium demonstrate that there is an absence of
innovation interface between universities and enterprises and the combined action of the two
disequilibrium results in the poor performance of docking effects between the innovation ability and
innovation achievements of universities and innovation demands of enterprises, thus, the innovation
activities of universities and enterprises fail to produce a powerful resultant force. Therefore, the
development of regional innovation system is restricted and the distribution efficiency of scientific and
technological resources is debased.
Thought on the synergy of Universities innovation ability and regional innovation system
In some sense, the disequilibrium of innovation resources, innovation ability, information distribution
and traditional transfer of technology impedes the improvement of the independent innovation ability of
enterprises. It is important to establish a cultivation mechanism, which can be achieved through
long-term cooperation in technology transfer field, to realize the transfer of innovation ability of
universities in deed to promote the improvement of independent innovation ability of enterprises. This is
significant in cultivating the synergy of Universities innovation ability and regional innovation system.
4.1 Restricted factors of the synergy between universities innovation ability and regional
innovation system
4.1.1 The interaction mechanism among all elements of the innovation system has not been set up. First,
the way for government to allocate each element of innovation system according to plan has not been
completely changed even if it is helpful to achieve major scientific and technological targets, it is still
difficult to bring the initiative of each individual element of innovation system into full play. As the
reform pushes forward, the function of government plan is weakening, but the market mechanism has
not given its full play, which leads to the absence of interaction mechanism in regional innovation
system. Second, with small-scale services, the existing intermediary organs and support service system
are weak and unsuitable for the demands of technological innovation of enterprises. Third, the flow of
talents which is affected by social security system and personnel-recruiting market will better serve for
the improvement of independent innovation ability of enterprises, and all elements in the innovation
system are affected by external circumstances.
4.1.2 Scientific fruit is failing to meet practical demands. The linkage between universities and
enterprises is weak, some curriculums arranged deviate from the enterprises’ innovation demands, and
the education students received is more knowledge imbuing rather than knowledge creation. The
scientific research force of universities and scientific research institution is over-scattered, failing to
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exert overall advantage. Universities focus on discussion of theories with the topic achievements deviate
from the market demands, but it can not provide scientific and technological achievements with market
prospect and high-added value which is essential for enterprise.
4.1.3 Universities have a vague self-position. A great deal of universities fail to clearly define their
responsibility of educating students in regional innovation system, and pay little attention to the
cultivation of the practical talents, deviate from the characteristics of provincial economic, industrial and
technological structure, and forecast discipline construction of the cultural resources in local region.
All these lead to unreasonable major arranged and cannot provide strong technological support for the
sustainable development of the local economy.
4.2 The innovation ability of universities serves for regional innovation system
Innovation ability of universities should be feature-oriented to show their own advantage, combined
closely with the traits of regional economy, to constitute practical and creative strategies and policies to
create benefits, train qualified personnel, transfer achievements, promote discipline, set up brand in the
process of severing the local economy and make progress in the combination of
enterprise-Universities-institute.
4.2.1 Universities exert its important role in regional innovation system. With plenty resources of talents
and intelligence, universities should bring their superiority of talents and technology into full play to
promote the combination of enterprise-Universities-institute, reinforce the consciousness of active
participation in economic construction and social development, and closely combine the talents
cultivating, scientific research, and social service, discipline construction with the national and regional
economic development.
4.2.2Establish expert knowledge network and strengthen the construction of technological innovation
platforms in universities. According to the frame of national innovation system, all local governments
should establish an expert knowledge network with the government taking the lead ,attracting research
institutes , scholars of universities, officers and entrepreneurs to participate, which can facilitate the flow
and transmission of knowledge and boost opening-up and share. By improving the flowing efficiency of
knowledge among the government, research institutes, universities and enterprises, innovation ability
can be improved.
4.2.3Greatly promotes the close combination of enterprise-Universities-institute. Universities should
take the initiative to face the main battlefield of economic construction and enhance cooperation with
enterprises and research institutes encircled with the demand of the industrial development to effectively
permeate the technology and capital to make achievement and market tightly connected, and play a
fundamental and supporting role in the construction of technological innovation system which takes
enterprises as its mainstay and combines enterprise-Universities-institute. It is a must to continuously
deepen the reform of scientific research system in universities, to promote the combination of
technology innovation and economic development and to quicken technology transfer and
industrialization.
4.3 The approach of synergy between innovation ability of universities and regional innovation
system
4.3.1 Set up an enterprise-Universities-institute base. Universities in our nation centralize numbers of
technological recourses, in which, full-time scientific researchers accounted for more than 20% of the
whole nation in equivalent time. Universities have strong original innovation ability, which is the main
force of knowledge innovation and knowledge source of independent innovation in our country. Only
when all these achievements are merged into regional economy can they be transferred into practical
productivity.
4.3.2 Construct an enterprise-Universities-institute strategic alliance and joint innovation platform.
Promote universities to construct an enterprise-Universities-institute strategic alliance of long-term
stability and reciprocity and win-win relation with leading enterprises. The preponderant technology
recourses system in universities should be systematically injected into the development of the pillar
industries and the emerging industries; it should construct a strategic alliance and joint innovation
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platform to actualize the transfer of enterprise-universities-institute from short-term, loose and single
cooperation to long-term, close and systemic cooperation, which can promote effective cooperation
between universities and regional enterprises, and impulse the perfection of the regional independent
innovation system and upgrading of the industrial structure.
4.3.3 Strengthen scientific and technological service, popularize science and generalize advanced
technology. Universities should establish a popularization system of scientific and technological
achievements with themselves as driving force, vocational education and network training as support,
constructing a new channel for the generalization and application of scientific and technological
achievements. Universities should take the responsibility of assisting medium and small-sized
enterprises in reconstructing traditional technology, applying new technology and new techniques, in
adopting new production and management mode, improving products quality, developing new products
and enhancing market competitiveness.
5 Conclusion
To effectively transfer the innovation ability from universities to enterprises, creative synergy among
universities, enterprises, government and other innovation subjects should be achieved, and construct
innovation platforms to actualize the effective joint between universities innovation ability and regional
innovation system. This will fundamentally erase the structural and functional disequilibrium
phenomenon existed between universities and regional innovation system and give full play to the
advantages of each innovation subject to change the single-commercialized technology transfer mode
between universities and enterprises in traditional technological transfer, to perfect regional innovation
system, and to improve the national independent innovation ability.
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