Open innovation in Chinese high-tech enterprises: An empirical research based on Zhejiang province

Based on data from 2010 Zhejiang Provincial Assessment Program for Research and Development Centers of High-tech Enterprises, this paper analyzes the state of open innovation in these enterprises from three dimensions, i.e., university-enterprise cooperation, the number of external R&D institutions, and outward technology transfer income. Then, this paper evaluates innovation performance of these high-tech enterprises based on authorized invention patents, standards and the rate of new product sales. In addition, we have a further analysis of problems in the process of conducting open innovation for them. This study finds that open innovation pattern in Zhejiang high-tech enterprises is still in its initial stage, and their awareness and capability of outward technology transfer is still weak. This study will enrich the knowledge of open innovation in the empirical context of Chinese high-tech enterprises and deepen our understandings of open innovation theory.