Science Research Management ›› 2022, Vol. 43 ›› Issue (1): 1-13.

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Science-based innovation: A research review and prospects

Li Xinrong1, Zhang Qingzhi2,Lei Jiasu1   

  1. 1. School of Economic and Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; 
    2. School of Public Policy and Management, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
  • Received:2021-05-21 Revised:2021-10-30 Online:2022-01-20 Published:2022-01-19

Abstract:  Schumpeter, the originator of innovation theory, defined innovation as the process of obtaining potential profits by introducing new combinations of production factors into things and activities in the production system. At present, according to the knowledge sources of industrial technological innovation, innovation could be divided into "technology-based (promotion) innovation" and "scientific-based (discovery) innovation". Science refers to the knowledge system that reflects the essence and law of objective things, and is the rational understanding of objective world things on the basis of practice and verification or logical reasoning. However, science-based innovation is not a simple combination of science and innovation. According to Coriat′s definition in 2003, science-based innovation refers to the industrial technological innovation that is strongly dependent on scientific progress and driven by cutting-edge scientific knowledge, including the whole process of new ideas generation, research, development, trial production, manufacturing and first commercialization. Up to now, science-based innovation research has attracted the attention of foreign scholars, who have carried out a large number of theoretical discussions and empirical analyses. However, the concept of science-based innovation was not contextually defined until 2012 in China. This innovation paradigm has not received enough academic attention and peer discussion in Chinese context due to the scattered research, the differences in research perspectives, levels and issues, especially lack of systematic literature review. 
    Therefore, this paper adopted systematic literature review method. In February 2021, using the Science Citation Index Expanded Edition (SCIE) and Social Sciences Citation Index Edition (SSCI) within Web of Science Core Collection database (WOS) as well as the Peking University Core Index (PKU Core) and Chinese Social Sciences Citation Index (CSSCI) databases within China National Knowledge Infrastructure database (CNKI), 258 English literatures and 52 Chinese literatures were identified. It was found that the relevant research on science-based innovation started in 1986, and in the following 34 years, the number of literatures increased year by year, showing that scholars′ interest in this filed has been continuously maintained and enhanced. 
    On the basis of these literatures, this paper carried out a follow-up review study, which is arranged as follows: The first part of this paper analyzed the basic situation of the 310 literatures and compares them from four aspects of time, space, journal distribution and research field to find out the current research status domestically and internationally. The second part of this paper combed the research context, including related concepts, characteristics, subjects, processes and models, and summarized the four stages of the evolution of science-based innovation paradigm since the 19th century. The third part of this paper constructed a knowledge framework for science-based innovation research, and summarized relevant researches and main conclusions from two different dimensions of innovation and enterprise dimension separately. Innovation dimension included individual, organizational and environmental factors while enterprise dimension included the creation, growth and governance of the enterprise.
    Finally, this paper proposed several future research directions, such as nonlinear process model, institutional orientation, technology recombination and corporate governance, in order to provide reference for future research of science-based innovation.  

Key words:  science-based innovation, research context, knowledge framework, research opportunities