Driving force from authorities: the evolution of innovation system for biomedical industry in China

Over the past 30 years, China has fully exploited its advantage to steadily foster an innovation system for the biomedical industry with Chinese characteristics, that is, ‘Government-guided, resource-integrated and long-term planning.’ The system originated from historically famous ‘863 program’ in the 1980s, evolved with a series of favourable policies in the different periods, and eventually has taken shape in the industrial clusters across the country. It features with a systematic and integrated R&D infrastructure (or public platform) at different levels. In this study, China’s biomedical innovation system will be examined and the leading role of Chinese authorities will be explored from the perspective of Triple Helix theory. As the ‘highland of innovation’, Shanghai case is highlighted with plentiful information gathered from primary sources in the involved agencies for the first time, including the Shanghai Biopharma Service Platform.     

Learning Sustainability? Absorptive capacities as drivers of sustainability in MNCs’ purchasing

MNCs are expected to operate in a sustainable fashion. Implementation of sustainability requires the ability to acknowledge external (sustainability-related) knowledge, and to apply it in intra-company activities such as purchasing. We focus on absorptive capacities as potential drivers of sustainability, and investigate the effect that a purchasing function’s capacity to absorb and process knowledge has on social and environmental sustainability practices, and subsequently on economic performance in purchasing. We compare MNCs and non-MNCs using a structural equation model of a large set of survey data from four European countries and find that only realized absorptive capacities impact sustainability practices in purchasing and this impact is smaller in MNCs than in other companies. We suggest that companies respond to the demand for sustainability by strengthening their implementation capabilities: the potential to acquire and transform knowledge within a purchasing function is less relevant, and what matters is its application.     

基于三重螺旋的校企合作策略

在我国市场经济尚未成熟的条件下,政府对校、企双方的影响力都还很大,校企之间要做到深层次的有效合作和无缝对接,必需通过政府、高校及企业间的伙伴关系来实现,合作的目的也不仅是校企受益,更重要的是实现政府、高校、企业的共赢与发展。三重螺旋理论为建立校、企之间的长效合作机制提供了较好的理论基础。     

左氧氟沙星三联疗法与阿莫西林三联疗法治疗消化性溃疡的临床疗效

目的探讨左氧氟沙星三联疗法与阿莫西林三联疗法治疗消化性溃疡的临床疗效。方法选取我院收治的消化性溃疡患者124例,将其随机分为两组,治疗组患者采用左氧氟沙星三联疗法,对照组患者采用阿莫西林三联疗法;比较两组患者的临床疗效及不良反应。结果治疗组患者总有效率为90.3%,明显优于对照组患者的83.9%,组间比较差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);治疗组不良反应发生率为8.1%,对照组不良反应发生率为11.3%,两组比较差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。结论左氧氟沙星三联疗法治疗消化性溃疡的临床疗效明显,具有安全、经济、不良反应少等优点。     

Food value chain transformations in developing countries: Selected hypotheses on nutritional implications

We examine how the transformation of food value chains (FVCs) influence the triple malnutrition burden (undernourishment, micronutrient deficiencies and over-nutrition) in developing countries. We propose a FVC typology (modern, traditional, modern-to-traditional, and traditional-to-modern) that takes into account the participants, the target market, and the products offered. Next, we propose selected hypotheses on the relationship between each FVC category and elements of the triple malnutrition burden. The primary finding is that the transformation of FVCs creates challenges and opportunities for nutrition in developing countries. For example, Modern FVCs may increase over-nutrition problems and alleviate micronutrient deficiencies for urban people with relatively high incomes. However, they have little nutritional impacts among rural residents and urban poor people, who primarily depend on traditional FVCs to access adequate quantities of calories and micronutrients. In addition, modern food manufacturers are leveraging traditional distribution networks (modern-to-traditional FVCs), substantially increasing access to low-priced processed/packaged foods in rural areas and low-income urban neighbors with mixed impacts on the triple burden of malnutrition. Further research should focus on the influence of FVC transformation on reduction of micronutrient deficiencies, on modeling demand substitution effects across food categories and the attendant policy implications for malnutrition.     

三重二元结构下的人口流动模型：对民工荒的一个新的研究框架

传统的人口流动模型建立在单一的城乡二元经济基础之上,不完全适合解释中国的人口流动问题,尤其不能解释民工荒现象。本文依据中国特殊的城乡和区域双重二元经济以及城乡二元社会结构下人口流动的特殊性,对传统人口流动模型进行修正,建立了新的人口流动模型,并以此分析我国产生民工荒现象的原因,提出解决民工荒问题的政策建议。     

我国三螺旋创新理论研究进展综述——基于CSSCI的分析

三螺旋创新理论是近年来国际创新管理领域出现的新研究范式之一。为进一步了解我国三螺旋创新领域的研究现状和进展,本文基于CSSCI数据库,运用定量和定性分析方法,对我国三螺旋创新研究论文进行了综述性研究。以期能促进我国区域创新理论建设并指导区域创新实践。     

Principles of innovation to build nutrition-sensitive food systems in South Asia

Innovations within global food systems have contributed to the predicament known as the triple burden of malnutrition – the co-existence of hunger and micronutrient deficiency with the diseases of overnutrition, such as obesity, diabetes and hypertension. We use the case of the triple burden in South Asia to demonstrate analytically that innovation is a double-edged sword, with positive and negative potential, rather than a simple good. To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals that target food and nutrition security and sustainable agriculture (e.g. SDGs 2, 3 and 12), the countries of South Asia need more innovation, but, first, they would also benefit from some intelligent reflection about what innovation means, the directions it should take, and its risks and downsides alongside its benefits. In the present juncture, South Asian countries have an opportunity to learn from the experiences of other developing nations, and choose from alternative options to steer their own course. In this paper, we discuss how innovation has contributed to the present situation and ask how alternative kinds of innovation may enable South Asian countries to escape from the triple burden. We describe a conceptual framework that may be useful for thinking about how innovation pathways can be created and directed towards the goal of improving nutritional outcomes in South Asia. The framework draws attention to the direction of socio-technical change, the distribution of technologies and their risks and benefits, and the diversity of possible innovation pathways (STEPS Centre, 2010). We illustrate these points using examples of innovations in the areas of agricultural production, value chain interventions, and policy and institutional reforms.     

The dynamics of university-industry-government relationships in Nanoscience: investigating the Triple-Helix differences between Iran and Switzerland

This study aims to find the differences between national and international relationships in Iran and Switzerland’s Nanoscience research between 2008–2015. The results show significant differences some of which are attributed to the general dichotomy of developed-developing countries like stronger University-Industry-Government relations in Switzerland; but others are not, especially those pertaining to bilateral relations. In summary, the Government-Industry relations in Switzerland are generally closer in this field because the emerging characteristics of Nanoscience call for more state intervention, even in the context of developed countries. Greater Government-University relations in Iran can be explained by referring to the structure of national innovation system of this country. However, the no significant differences between University-Industry relations result needs further research so that it may in turn lead to improvements of the triple-helix calculations. Lastly, some theoretical implications and further research directions are suggested at the end.     

三重螺旋视域下中国区域创新水平差异性研究

在知识经济兴起与科技浪潮高涨的背景下,创新水平日益成为决定区域获取竞争优势的关键因素。基于三重螺旋理论,构建区域创新水平评价指标体系,对2009-2013年中国内地30个省区市（除西藏外）的面板数据进行因子分析和聚类分析。在此基础上,给出了影响区域创新水平的5大因素,并据此识别划分出中国区域创新发展的4个阶段。