A Study Of Construction Of Regional Science Intermediary Network System

As building an innovative country has been established and implemented as a national strategy, scientific and technological innovation is playing an increasingly important role in China's economic development. Scientific and technological innovation is a process in which findings from universities and research institutes are put into practice by enterprises with the help from intermediary organizations. And the process witnesses the creation of a complete information chain, or in other words a course in which information receives augmenting value. However, due to unbalanced information distribution, information chain has been far from perfect. A great number of scientific and technological achievements produced by universities and research institutes lie idle, resulting in a very low conversion rate, and in turn wasting resources to a serious extent. Science and technology intermediary organizations have a huge advantage in bridging the information gap, saving transaction costs and accelerating conversion from theoretical knowledge into practical productivity. The entitlement of 2003 as the year for science and technology intermediary organizations has contributed a great deal to the improvement of information service suppliers. As major components of the nation's innovation system, intermediary organizations are occupying a vital position in the scientific and technological innovation process. In developed countries, science and technology intermediary organizations, supported by the nation, are operating in a free marketing environment, achieving great success. In China, however, underdevelopment of economy and science, as well as imperfection of market system, has caused the unbalanced development of the intermediary organizations. Many non-profit science intermediary organizations account for a major portion of the market, while those operating in commercialized manners only possess relatively weak strength. As a solution to the problems facing the existing intermediary organizations, such as the presence of multiple elements, unbalanced development, and lack of qualified service systems, trans-regional and cross-industry intermediary systems, as a result of the government's encouragement, have begun to emerge. With the government's incentives and the adoption of membership system, the newly emerging systems have integrated innovative resources and optimized their deployment to the greatest possible extent, by organizing originally scattered intermediary organizations into one group through internet. The problem that scientific achievements cannot be fully converted into practical productivity has thus been successfully got over.The study of construction of regional science intermediary network system is based on two points. One is structure, which features two key words, namely'regional'and'network'. The purpose of constructing a regional system is to integrate different parts efficiently, break administrative restraints, make them coordinate to their full capacity and avoid unbalanced development. Meanwhile, network has its special advantages in reducing both organization and transaction costs by integrating innovative resources on a platform, which will make possible the online publication of scientific information, service supply and transaction. Consequently, the construction of regional science intermediary network system will help improve and accelerate scientific innovation. The other point is construction, which given the fact that the system is composed of separate but in the meantime interactive elements and subsystems, aims to put forward a general framework guiding the subsystems to function properly, and elaborate on the quality improvement strategy of components of such subsystems. Based on the guiding concept, the thesis is unfolding according to the logical sequence of general statement followed by supporting details and then finalized by a conclusion. Starting with basic research knowledge, the thesis first deals with the major elements of and framework for the science intermediary network system, and then analyses the framework for the subsystems. The next part is concerned with the construction of three major links including organization system, resource system and system platform. After that, a general account of operating mechanism of the system is produced, supported by a case study.The thesis falls into 9 chapters as follows:Chapter One: Introduction. With the thesis background analyzed from the macroscopic, middle, microcosmic views, the chapter brings forward the grounds for writing the dissertation, including the innovative strategy and the fact that scientific achievements cannot be fully changed into practical productivity. In the next place, both theoretical and practical meanings of the thesis are clarified in this chapter. The study will play a significant part in promoting the industrialization of scientific and technological research achievements and stressing the importance of the information science discipline as a service provider for scientific advancement. Then some basic concepts and research limits are defined, specifying the research objectives and boundaries of the paper. What is mentioned last in the chapter includes the content, methodology, train of thought and possible innovative ideas.Chapter Two: Current Situation of Research and Practice at Home and Abroad. Related research results by different scholars at home and abroad are quoted from necessary angles. Also briefed in this chapter is the application of three major theories supporting the thesis, i.e., the innovation theory, Information Asymmetry and Principal-Agent Theory, and System Theory. Three main subjects involving the national innovative system, science intermediary organizations, and science intermediary service system, are included in the study category. Researching findings concerned are organized systematically in a bid to obtain adequate supporting evidence and ample space for the writing. Analysis of both the internal and foreign practices with major attention paid on the general status in quo at home, serves as convincing arguments for the feasibility and necessity of the study.Chapter Three: Construction of Regional Network System of Science Intermediary Service. By building a service system centering round the scientific intermediary organizations, scientific and technological resources are able to flow smoothly in the system, speeding up the process of scientific and technological innovation. In addition, four primary components are explained, including organizations, resources, relationships and environments. The components make up a science intermediary service system on the principles of resource sharing, joint development and common interest. The framework of the system is illustrated through time sequence, space logic and content logic at the end of the chapter.Chapter Four: Organization System Construction. This chapter handles the relationships between governments, universities and research institutes, science intermediary organizations, and enterprises. Core capacity of the different components in the organization is interpreted separately in detail.Chapter Five: Science Information Resources System Construction. The tracks of science information movement based on network are discussed from such aspects as collection mechanism, organizing modes, sharing, and distribution mechanism. In the light of the discussion, the chapter advances the optimum ways and modes of allocating information resources.Chapter Six: Science Intermediary Service Network Platform Construction. The chapter puts emphasis on the platform's functional requirements, construction techniques, module design, and service framework. Functions including intermediary services and transaction services receive special attention in the module design part. A model and standard study is conducted with regard to the platform construction.Chapter Seven: Support for the Operation of the Regional Science Intermediary Network System. The healthy and normal operation of the system needs support from the system of policies, laws and regulations, human resources system, system of technique standard, and investment and financing system. Chapter Eight: Case Study. Comparison is made between several representative regional technology transfer service supply alliances existing within boundaries of China and the study in the thesis. Their problems are pointed out and corresponding solutions as well as developing strategies are proposed.Chapter Nine: Conclusion and Outlook. A conclusion of the whole thesis is reached. Problems remaining to be discussed and directions for further researches are included in this chapter.By means of literature review, comparative analysis, expert consulting and system analysis, the thesis is attempting to make a breakthrough in the following respects.(1) The construction of a regional science intermediary network system with intermediary organizations playing the leading role, together with the systematic analysis of interaction mechanism of the major components, will function as positive reference for improvement of the national innovation system.(2)The relatively comprehensive schemes for the organization construction of major components, science information construction, and intermediary service platform construction, will provide necessary evidence for the establishment of related policies.(3) Supporting mechanism for the normal and efficient operation of the network system is elaborated systematically. Thus a systematic plan consisting of structure, construction and support takes its shape.(4) An empirical case study is carried out, based on our country's existing regional technology transfer service systems. Strategies to accelerate the construction of regional science intermediary network systems are put forward. A strategy system combining the macroscopic, the middle and the microscopic is formed, serving as the available foundation for scientific decisions to be made.