The cost distribution of technological innovation in China

Two types of cases were selected to analyze the cost distribution patterns of the technological innovation (TI) process in China. One type is the high technology R&D projects completed by R&D institutions (including universities and government institutes); the other is commercialized products produced mainly by firms. The findings seem to be basically similar to those of case studies made in the industrial countries, suggesting that there may not be a remarkable difference between the industrial and the developing countries or between the market and planned economies in terms of the cost distribution patterns of the TI process. However, there is a higher proportion of post-R&D costs in China compared with those in industrial countries, which may have some implications for the developing countries in formulating their innovation policies