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Regional Science & Technology and Innovation

Research on Regional Science and Technology Collaborative Inno⁃ vation Models Driven by Policy Instruments 

Tang Chuan1, 2 , Wang Wanjing 1, 2 , Xu Jing1 , Yang Kuangjunyu1 

(1.National Science Library (Chengdu), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610299, China; 2.Department  of Information Resources Management, School of Economics and Management, University of Chinese Academy  of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China)

Abstract: Regional science and technology collaborative innovation serves as the core support  for the nation's implementation of the innovation-driven development strategy and the achieve⁃ ment of self-reliance and strength in science and technology. Analyzing the characteristics of sci⁃ ence and technology innovation policies in the three major urban agglomerations and extractingtheir collaborative innovation models holds significant implications for optimizing regional collab⁃ orative innovation policies. This study is based on policy tool theory and innovation ecosystem  theory, constructing a "tool-effectiveness" analysis framework. Using content analysis, it decon⁃ structs the combination characteristics of policy tools in 138 policy documents from the BeijingTianjin-Hebei, Yangtze River Delta, and Pearl River Delta urban agglomerations between 2020 and 2024. Combined with innovation effectiveness indices, it conducts coupled validation to re⁃ veal the transmission mechanism between tool configuration and effectiveness output, thereby ex⁃ tracting differentiated collaborative innovation models. The findings reveal: ①There exists a dia⁃ lectical relationship between common imbalances and dynamic adaptation in policy tool combina⁃ tions. The three urban agglomerations exhibit common imbalances such as overemphasis on in⁃ vestment and underemphasis on conversion in supply-oriented tools, strong planning but weak in⁃ centives in environmental tools, and a focus on carriers but a lack of connections in demandoriented tools. However, they have developed differentiated adaptation pathways: the BeijingTianjin-Hebei region leverages planning authority to overcome geographical constraints, the  Yangtze River Delta region uses institutional coordination to break down administrative barriers, and the Pearl River Delta region leverages market mechanisms to activate factor reallocation. ② The spatial differentiation of innovation outcomes is fundamentally the result of the coupled ef⁃ fects of "policy strategies—regional characteristics—governance contexts". The Beijing-TianjinHebei region's planning-driven element restructuring scale forms a differentiated efficacy land⁃ scape, the Yangtze River Delta's institutional resilience supports systemic coordination capabili⁃ ties, and the Pearl River Delta's market sensitivity drives element conversion efficiency. These re⁃ veal the three major urban agglomerations' distinctive collaborative innovation models: the  planning-driven model, the institutional coordination model, and the market-driven model. ③ The "tool-effectiveness" transmission mechanism across the three urban agglomerations follows a  common logic: environmental tools shape the order of the innovation environment through institu⁃ tional design, supply-type tools directly determine the quality of elements invested in scientific  and technological activities, and demand-type tools accelerate the conversion of elements into  scientific and technological outputs and industrialization, collectively forming a complete trans⁃ mission chain from tool allocation to effectiveness output. This study breaks through the limita⁃ tions of one-way research on innovation outcomes at the theoretical level and expands the bound⁃ aries of collaborative innovation policy research. At the practical level, it proposes a three-step  strategy of "model transplantation—tool innovation—efficiency iteration", suggesting that China  optimize policy tool combinations based on different regional characteristics. In regions with  prominent administrative barriers, strengthen planning transmission and cross-regional coordina⁃ tion mechanisms; in regions with complex cross-regional governance, improve institutional coor⁃ dination and network collaboration systems; In regions with active markets, deepen marketdriven mechanisms and the allocation of factors of production. Simultaneously, establish a dy⁃ namic monitoring and evaluation system to adjust tool configurations in real time. By achieving  ecological adaptation of tool combinations, this approach addresses the "composite fallacy" in  policy design, providing a reference for constructing a regional innovation ecosystem that bal⁃ ances differentiation and collaboration. This supports the implementation of innovation-driven  development and the strategy of achieving self-reliance and strength in science and technology. 

Key words: science and technology collaborative innovation; regional collaborative innovation  model; policy text analysis; policy tools; innovation effectiveness