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Intellectual property education and corporate collaborative innovation: evidence from China

Author

Listed:
  • Huake Liu

    (Wuhan University, School of Economics and Management)

  • Frank Min Song

    (Wuhan University, School of Economics and Management
    Wuhan University, Institute of Central China Development)

  • Yulin Yang

    (China University of Geosciences, School of Public Administration)

  • Yuyan Li

    (Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, School of Finance)

Abstract

Intellectual property (IP) protection depends not only on legislative frameworks but also on the provision of high-quality IP education. Leveraging a quasi-natural experiment involving the introduction of IP undergraduate programs in Chinese universities and patent data from Chinese listed companies (1993–2018), this study employs a difference-in-differences model to empirically examine the causal effect of IP education on collaborative innovation. The main result shows that IP education significantly boosts collaborative patents by about 18%, equivalent to about 9% of the sample mean. Furthermore, mechanism analysis reveals that IP education operates through three key channels: (1) enhancing the supply of IP-related services, (2) mitigating information asymmetry, and (3) reducing IP-related litigation. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that the effect of IP education varies across city tiers and types of collaborative innovation participants. Furthermore, IP education raises firms’ total patents by 7.91% and R&D investment by 8.67%. Long-term accumulative effects of IP education are also observed. These findings underscore the necessity for China to prioritize IP education, cultivate specialized IP talent, establish systematic university-industry collaboration mechanisms, and promote institutional platforms for IP commercialization through skilled professionals.

Suggested Citation

  • Huake Liu & Frank Min Song & Yulin Yang & Yuyan Li, 2025. "Intellectual property education and corporate collaborative innovation: evidence from China," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 69(6), pages 3663-3716, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:empeco:v:69:y:2025:i:6:d:10.1007_s00181-025-02799-w
    DOI: 10.1007/s00181-025-02799-w
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • O34 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Intellectual Property and Intellectual Capital
    • O32 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Management of Technological Innovation and R&D
    • M55 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics - - - Labor Contracting Devices

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