Study on the efficiency of industry-university-research collaborative innovation in China based on a two-stage game cross-efficiency model incorporating Shapley value

This study evaluates the efficiency of China’s industry-university-research collaborative innovation (IURCI) system using a two-stage game cross-efficiency model integrated with Shapley values. By constructing an evaluation index system that captures the two stages of innovation: research and development (R&D) and technology transfer, and introducing the Shapley value to quantify the contributions of variables at each stage, this study addresses the limitations of traditional data envelopment analysis (DEA) models in weight allocation and competition handling. The empirical results indicate that: (1) China’s IURCI efficiency exhibits a clear pattern of high R&D efficiency but low transfer efficiency. (2) the central region demonstrates the highest overall efficiency with relatively balanced performance across both stages, while the eastern region leads in R&D but lags in technology transfer, and the western and northeastern regions experience pronounced stage imbalances. (3) innovation resource allocation tends to emphasize transfer while neglecting R&D with enterprises’ leading role in innovation insufficiently realized. Accordingly, this study recommends optimizing resource allocation mechanisms, strengthening the leadership role of enterprises, promoting the development of technology markets, and implementing differentiated regional policies to enhance the overall effectiveness of IURCI in China.