Scientific Collaboration Institution And Its Effect In Universities

Collaboration is one of the inevitable issues of modern scientific innovation. Furthermore, "Big Science" dynasty brings more attention to scientific collaboration institution and its effect. As the base of a country's science development, universities already appear to have different scientific collaboration organizations and implementation models in various levels and patterns. Dominated by scientists, resources and managements, university scientific collaboration becomes a persistent and stable structure of the society and "institution" is the key factor to maintain and reproduce the structure. However, the phenomenon of widespread scientific collaboration may not truly reflect the collaborators'wills. The inconsistency of collaborators'true intentions and the collaboration institution and structure is the major difficulty of this research. This dissertation intends to construct an analysis framework of university scientific collaboration in order to provide a benchmark for people to understand the logics and the evolution of the institution thus reduce uncertainty and unpredictability in collaboration.It is crucial to select a proper angel to analyze the "collaboration institution". The research which is based on relevant institution's theorem focuses on "structure, environment and collaborator" and analyzes their rules and institution structures. University scientific collaboration is a complicated institutionalized process. The institution and environment represent both the static state of organization structure and institution as well as the dynamic state of organization etiquette and culture. Only when "collaborator",'structure" and "environment" interact with each other can the process be fully viewed and analyzed. Only when the regulative, normative and culture-cognitive are successfully realized can the effect of the scientific collaboration be taken. With regard to the scientific collaboration institution and its effect, the research is conducted in a way of dual logical analysis based on calculate approach and culture approach. As a institution of hierarchy, university scientific collaboration reflects both calculate institutional logic and cultural logic thus is a duplex logical institution. In comparison with corporation scientific collaboration, university emphasizes more on cultural institution process and this is the major difference between university scientific collaboration and corporation scientific collaboration.The research selects new institution theory as the "pillar theory" throughout the article and penetrates the three pillars - " regulative", "normative" and "culture-cognitive" into the research and analysis on university scientific collaboration. In order to avoid pure theoretical analysis, the most representative topic - Research Task Institution and the related policy are chosen as the basis of analysis. It is found in the study that research task institution plays an important role of guidance and regulations in a way of promoting exchanges and cooperation in scientific research and encouraging innovation potentials. In the area of institution specification, Research Task Institution is a typical external institution. However, its operation is not out of the orbit within the institution, that is, university teachers and students share values and pursue knowledge. This has transformed intrinsically into community cooperation in the subject and is informally followed and supported by members of academic communities. In the institution of culture-cognitive, research task institution not only implements a institution of constraints in the mechanism for scholars conducting research, but also carries long-term accumulation and expression of people's ideas and common interests in the field of scientific research. The institutionalization of research task institution is a subject of the evolution of the successful habits of these individuals, groups'customs, social practices and legal regulations. It is conducted to achieve objective effect of the Research Task Institution.According to a case study of H University on "State Key Laboratory of Digital Manufacturing Equipment and Technology", it is found that there are two operating modes:strategic collaboration and battle collaboration. These two types of collaborations have differences in operation mode, communication, working task, payment institution and trust. The case study reflects the formation of the organizational team practices, cultural practices and implicit regulations that are beneficial to the long-term university research. It also reveals the current difficulties faced by university research collaboration and academic alienation orientation. This research explores the negative effects of institution obstruction and culture gap and the deep-seated reasons behind.The results show that the institution of Chinese university scientific collaboration is not lack of a formal institution of external regulation. Indeed, adjustments need to be made in the existing institution and culture-cognitive institution to prevent institution obstruction and fundamental culture gap. As actors usually make decisions under a dual drive of motivation and value of options for action, actors need to be translated into motivational institution specification, achieving the standard integration; at the same time, the actors ought to be directed into a cultural value institution. Social norms and cultural factors such as organization managements, regulations, customs and cultural awareness constrain and innovate actors.