Proximity Based Research On The Cooperation Network Of Enterprise Technological Innovation In The Field Of Synthetic Biology

ObjectivesWe will try to find answers to the following questions:(1)In the field of synthetic biology,what is the behavior pattern of actors at a firm level?Do they interact frequently or still be in the process of probing and looking for partners?(2)What is the situation about the co-patenting network in the technological area of synthetic biology?Is it well developed or still has plenty of room to grow?(3)What type of proximity plays the main role in technological cooperation in this emerging field?Is there a mutual effect,e.g.whether they enhance or offset the influence of each other on cooperation?ObjectsIn this paper,we choose enterprises involved in R&D cooperation in the field of synthetic biology to build a technological innovation network,with patents being the measuring object.The time span is from 1980-2017.The dependent variable is cooperation intensity,while the independent factors are geographical,technological and social proximity.Corporate dependency is set to be the control variable.MethodsSince all variables in this paper are relational data in matrix form,general statistical analysis tool,such as OLS regression,could make the significance test meaningless because of the collinear feature.Thus,we choose the multi-permutation based quadratic assignment procedure(QAP)to study the connection among these variables.QAP is a method of comparing each corresponding element from two or more matrices.In doing so,the procedure gives out the correlation coefficient that has been nonparametric tested,which not only solves the autocorrelation problem but also provides an unbiased statistical result.ConclusionsIn conclusion,we have answered the research questions raised by the purposes of this contribution,which figures out an essential map about the collaboration and mechanism among companies in the field of synthetic biology.And particularly,this field is in the initial stage of development.(1)Geographical proximity has no significant impact on patent cooperation,while technological and social proximity do.Close social relations and similar technical knowledge base promote innovative cooperation.Geographical aspect can be seen as a mean indirectly affects cooperation by strengthening the other dimensions.(2)Corporate dependency plays a substantial role in shaping cooperation.There exist the mediating effects among the three dimensions of proximity,and each of them is irreplaceable.(3)In the current stage,the behavior mode of firms has not been shaped in this field.There is not a large cooperation network in the field of synthetic biology,the actors of which are relatively scattered and disconnected.