IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/teinso/v83y2025ics0160791x25001794.html

Cross-regional collaborative innovation in the era of data openness: a factor mobility perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Luo, Qingfeng
  • Wang, Jingyuan

Abstract

In the era of data openness, cross-regional collaborative innovation (CRCI) has emerged as a pivotal driver of regional economic integration and coordinated development. This paper, from the perspective of factor mobility, examines the impact and mechanisms of China's pilot public data openness policies on CRCI. The findings demonstrate that public data openness significantly promotes inter-city collaborative innovation, primarily by enhancing the flow of innovative talent, R&D capital, and knowledge, with the knowledge flow channel being the most prominent. Further analysis reveals that the positive effects of public data openness are particularly pronounced for firms with higher network positions, collaborations among firms, and high-level substantive collaborations. The heterogeneity analysis shows that the impact of public data openness is more pronounced in regions with lower levels of industrial specialization and collaboration, in China's central and western regions, within urban clusters, and in technology-intensive industries. This study provides strong empirical evidence supporting the role of public data openness policies in fostering CRCI, offering valuable insights for enhancing regional innovation policies and promoting high-quality innovation collaboration.

Suggested Citation

  • Luo, Qingfeng & Wang, Jingyuan, 2025. "Cross-regional collaborative innovation in the era of data openness: a factor mobility perspective," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:teinso:v:83:y:2025:i:c:s0160791x25001794
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.102989
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160791X25001794
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.102989?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Zuo-jun Dong & Lan Xu & Jia-hui Cheng & Guo-jun Sun, 2021. "Major factors affecting biomedical cross-city R&D collaborations based on cooperative patents in China," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 126(3), pages 1923-1943, March.
    2. Sheng-qiang Jiang & An-na Shi & Zhi-hang Peng & Xin Li, 2017. "Major factors affecting cross-city R&D collaborations in China: evidence from cross-sectional co-patent data between 224 cities," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 111(3), pages 1251-1266, June.
    3. Li Yao & Jun Li, 2022. "Intercity innovation collaboration and the role of high-speed rail connections: evidence from Chinese co-patent data," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 56(11), pages 1845-1857, November.
    4. Rodríguez-Pose, Andrés & Zhang, Min, 2020. "The cost of weak institutions for innovation in China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    5. Barrett, Gillian & Dooley, Lawrence & Bogue, Joe, 2021. "Open innovation within high-tech SMEs: A study of the entrepreneurial founder's influence on open innovation practices," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    6. Francesco Scotti & Francesco Pierri & Giovanni Bonaccorsi & Andrea Flori, 2022. "Responsiveness of open innovation to COVID-19 pandemic: The case of data for good," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(4), pages 1-19, April.
    7. Zhang, Liangliang & Huang, Shoujun, 2022. "Social capital and regional innovation efficiency: The moderating effect of governance quality," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 343-359.
    8. Feng, Zhijun & Cai, Hechang & Chen, Zinan & Zhou, Wen, 2022. "Influence of an interurban innovation network on the innovation capacity of China: A multiplex network perspective," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    9. Zhang, Min & Rodríguez-Pose, Andrés, 2024. "Government reform and innovation performance in China," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 122728, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    10. Marijn Janssen & David Konopnicki & Jane L. Snowdon & Adegboyega Ojo, 2017. "Driving public sector innovation using big and open linked data (BOLD)," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 19(2), pages 189-195, April.
    11. Jin, Peizhen & Mangla, Sachin Kumar & Song, Malin, 2022. "The power of innovation diffusion: How patent transfer affects urban innovation quality," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 414-425.
    12. Chen, Chao & Gu, Junjian & Luo, Rongxi, 2022. "Corporate innovation and R&D expenditure disclosures," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    13. Leckel, Anja & Veilleux, Sophie & Dana, Leo Paul, 2020. "Local Open Innovation: A means for public policy to increase collaboration for innovation in SMEs," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    14. Claire Jean-Quartier & Miguel Rey Mazón & Mario Lovrić & Sarah Stryeck, 2022. "Collaborative Data Use between Private and Public Stakeholders—A Regional Case Study," Data, MDPI, vol. 7(2), pages 1-14, January.
    15. Jingjing Yang & Sana Khalil, 2015. "Do innovation dimensions matter in China’s cross-regional income differences?," Journal of Chinese Economic and Business Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(1), pages 71-85, January.
    16. Stojčić, Nebojša & Matić, Matija, 2024. "A journey toward global value chain upgrading: Exploring the transition from backward to forward integration," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    17. Cheah, Sarah Lai-Yin & Ho, Yuen-Ping, 2020. "Effective industrial policy implementation for open innovation: The role of government resources and capabilities," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    18. Katri Liis Lepik & Merle Krigul, 2014. "Challenges in knowledge sharing for innovation in cross-border context," International Journal of Knowledge-Based Development, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 5(4), pages 332-343.
    19. Giuliana Battisti & Jorge Gallego & Luis Rubalcaba & Paul Windrum, 2015. "Open innovation in services: knowledge sources, intellectual property rights and internationalization," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(3), pages 223-247, April.
    20. Zhang, Yi & Chen, Kaihua, 2022. "Network growth dynamics: The simultaneous interaction between network positions and research performance of collaborative organisations," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    21. Zhong, Yuan & Lai, Huisu & Zhang, Liang & Guo, Lixiang & Lai, Xiaobing, 2025. "Does public data openness accelerate new quality productive forces? Evidence from China," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 1409-1427.
    22. Rengarajan, Srinath & Narayanamurthy, Gopalakrishnan & Moser, Roger & Pereira, Vijay, 2022. "Data strategies for global value chains: Hybridization of small and big data in the aftermath of COVID-19," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 776-787.
    23. Zhenxing Tian & Ying Li & Xiaogeng Niu & Meiyu Liu, 2023. "The impact of digital economy on regional technological innovation capability: An analysis based on China’s provincial panel data," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 18(7), pages 1-17, July.
    24. Guo, Yani & Yan, Jiale & Zhuang, Peifen, 2025. "How does data sharing affect the sustainable development of agribusiness? Evidence from public data openness," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Ding Haoqing & Wei Qifeng & Wang Zihao, 2026. "Digital Economy and Urban Green Development: Regional Heterogeneity and Empirical Evidence from Chinese Cities," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment Journal, De Gruyter, vol. 20(1), pages 1-20.
    2. Ling, Long & Hu, Lu & Li, Shaoqiu & Zhao, Xing & Ye, Xixi, 2025. "How does open public data affect enterprise green transformation?," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Zhou, Qin & Cheng, Changgao & Fang, Zhou & Zhang, Hengquan & Xu, Yining, 2024. "How does the development of the digital economy affect innovation output? Exploring mechanisms from the perspective of regional innovation systems," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 1-17.
    2. Marzi, Giacomo & Fakhar Manesh, Mohammad & Caputo, Andrea & Pellegrini, Massimiliano Matteo & Vlačić, Božidar, 2023. "Do or do not. Cognitive configurations affecting open innovation adoption in SMEs," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    3. Ji, Qiang & Nie, Song, 2025. "The power of public data: How does public data shape the spatial distribution of China's AI Firms?," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 255(C).
    4. Peng Xiaobao & Wu Jian & Chen Yuhui & Sumran Ali & Xie Qijun, 2024. "Does the carbon emission trading pilot policy promote green innovation cooperation? Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment in China," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 10(1), pages 1-24, December.
    5. Luo, Hanlin & Chen, Lusi & Xu, Xin, 2025. "How the disclosure of government public data stimulates corporate green transitions," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    6. Simba, Amon & Tajeddin, Mahdi & Farashahi, Mehdi & Dana, Léo-Paul & Maleki, Amirhossein, 2024. "Internationalising high–tech SMEs: Advancing a new perspective of open innovation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    7. Sharma, Abhijit & Sousa, Cristina & Woodward, Richard, 2022. "Determinants of innovation outcomes: The role of institutional quality," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    8. Kafka, Kyriaki I. & Kostis, Pantelis C., 2024. "Unravelling the innovation puzzle: The interplay between uncertainty, economic institutions, and innovation performance in advanced and developing economies," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 198(C).
    9. Yang, Haodong & Zhang, Yumei & Wang, Gaofeng & Liu, Li, 2025. "Intellectual property governance and academic technology transfer," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    10. Kraus, Sascha & Kumar, Satish & Lim, Weng Marc & Kaur, Jaspreet & Sharma, Anuj & Schiavone, Francesco, 2023. "From moon landing to metaverse: Tracing the evolution of Technological Forecasting and Social Change," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    11. M. Dal Molin & A.C. Pinate & M.G. Brandano, 2025. "Institutional Quality and Green Innovation in Italy: A Regional Perspective," Working Paper CRENoS 202508, Centre for North South Economic Research, University of Cagliari and Sassari, Sardinia.
    12. Fan, Zhenqi & Cui, Jie & Wu, Wenjing, 2026. "Spatial spillover effect of green credit on carbon emission intensity in China: The role of high-quality productive forces," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    13. Bei Liu & Jinmin Wang & Xinle Tong & Zhihua Zhou & Zhaoxuan Qiu, 2024. "Institutional investor shareholding and the quality of corporate innovation: Moderating effects based on internal and external environment," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 45(1), pages 326-338, January.
    14. Qiong Liu & Junhua Guo, 2025. "The Effects of Government R&D Investment and Policy Ambiguity on Regional Innovation: Evidence from China," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 16(2), pages 8060-8084, June.
    15. Luo, Lianfa & Cheng, Zhiming & Ye, Qingqing & Cheng, Yanjun & Smyth, Russell & Yang, Zhiqing & Zhang, Le, 2024. "Nonmonetary awards and innovation: Evidence from winning China's Top Brand Contest," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    16. Feng, Langang & Hu, Jin & Wu, Kaiya & Huang, Minmin & Hu, Mingjun, 2025. "Investigating the role of green mobility in coupling coordination of urbanization and ecological environment: Evidence from high-speed rail accessibility," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 170(C), pages 24-33.
    17. Zhang, Ruixue & Tang, Yuyan & Li, Yongli & Zhang, Yuanxin, 2025. "What motivates the collaborative innovation relationship in infrastructure projects from dynamic network perspective," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    18. Fan, Xiaomin & Xu, Yingzhi, 2023. "Does high-speed railway promote urban innovation? Evidence from China," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    19. Mohammad Daradkeh, 2023. "Exploring the Curvilinear Relationship between Academic-Industry Collaboration Environment and Innovation Performance: A Multilevel Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-20, May.
    20. Zheng, Yunjian & Lin, Chen & Yan, Jiale & Guo, Yani, 2025. "How to enhance the innovation capacity of technology-based enterprises: A fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:teinso:v:83:y:2025:i:c:s0160791x25001794. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/technology-in-society .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.