| How can the ties with external independent R&D institutions affect enterprise innovation performance? As an important part of the transformation and upgrading of enterprise independent innovation, the role of external independent R&D institutions in the innovation process is increasingly prominent. More and more studies begin to pay close attention to the impact of the ties with external independent R&D institutions on enterprise innovation, however, the existing researches mainly concern the direct impact, and the process mechanism of the external ties and enterprise innovation is still in the black box of the theoretical study. Considering the role of the technology boundary-spanning search and market boundary-spanning search on enterprise innovation, this paper considers that combining the social capital theory with the innovation search theory can help us deeply understand the mechanism of outside independent R&D institutions related to enterprise innovation, and then open the black box of the research process.Based on this, this paper conducts an empirical research by using an original questionnaire data set of 270 enterprises in Suzhou Industrial Park. The results of the study show that, the ties with external independent R&D institutions can improve enterprise innovation performance, but this effect must be achieved through the boundary spanning search, that is to say, the technical boundary spanning search and the market boundary spanning search play a completely mediating role between the external independent R&D institutions and enterprise innovation. External R&D institutions can promote technical boundary spanning search and market boundary spanning search, and further enhance the innovation ability and innovation performance of the enterprise. Based on the above conclusions, theoretical implications, practical implications and the possible future research directions are discussed. |
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