Research on innovation cooperation network of Chinese universities based on patent data

Innovation collaboration is of paramount importance in the socio-economic context. This study employs social network analysis methods to investigate patent data from Chinese universities between 2002 and 2021. We constructed a patent collaboration network and explored its dynamics. We analyzed and compared the evolution of university patent collaboration networks across different stages. The results indicate that collaboration among universities is not balanced, with a dominant presence of top-ranked universities. Businesses tend to engage in in-depth technical collaborations with universities in their respective fields. Companies place emphasis on leveraging the technological resources of universities for both technology and product innovation. The patent collaboration network has witnessed an increasing number of nodes and edges, tighter relationships, and greater diversification in collaboration patterns.