Internationalization of Chinese Research and Development

The internationalization of Chinese research and development (R&D) is a fairly recent phenomenon and still ongoing process. What makes the rise of international Chinese R&D remarkable is that this is—alongside India—one of the first such endeavors by a developing country with already one of the most substantial global R&D footprints, even including Western countries. Similar motivations and challenges of earlier R&D globalization are replicated and observed also in the recent Chinese internationalization, with a few emerging country-specific nuances, such as the focus on technology acquisition through merger and acquisition (M&A) and suspected central coordination by the Chinese government, which has given rise to challenges of its own for Chinese multinational corporations (MNCs). In this respect, China seems to have been the victim of its own success; the future of Chinese R&D internationalization bears both opportunities and challenges for the global innovation community.

Sieben Jahre EIT RawMaterials Regional Center in Leoben – Rohstoffforschung im Kontext Globaler Entwicklung

ZusammenfassungDas Resources Innovation Center Leoben (RIC Leoben) an der Montanuniversität bündelt heute die internationalen Beteiligungen der Institution im Bereich der Nachhaltigkeit in Rohstoffforschung und Ausbildung. Das RIC geht zurück auf das Jahr 2015, wo es als Regional Center des EIT RawMaterials, einer Knowledge & Innovation Community des European Institute for Innovation and Technology, einem europäischen Netzwerk aus mittlerweile rund 300 Partnern des Rohstoffsektors, gegründet wurde. Besonders in den Bereichen Bildung, Sustainable Exploration & Mining, Technological Innovation und Recycling sowie der strategischen Weiterentwicklung und Mitgestaltung der Community ist die Montanuniversität durch das RIC hier tätig. 2017 wurden die Aktivitäten um die Mitgliedschaft in der EIT Climate-KIC, einer weiteren Knowledge & Innovation Community, erweitert, in der die Themen Urban Transitions und Sustainable Production Systems vorangetrieben werden, um die Auswirkungen des Klimawandels zu begrenzen und eine klimaresiliente Gesellschaft zu fördern. Ein zusätzlicher Bereich im Portfolio des RIC Leoben sind die Sustainable Development Goals der Vereinten Nationen, zu denen durch vielerlei Initiativen beigetragen wird. Eine Schlüsselaktivität in diesem Bereich ist die Implementierung ebendieser im österreichischen Hochschulsektor durch ein gemeinsames Netzwerk aller österreichischen Universitäten und die Übernahme einer Patenschaft für SDG 12. Die Aktivitäten des RIC haben auch zur inhaltlichen Gestaltung der European University on Responsible Consumption and Production beigetragen, die erfolgreich im Lead aus dem RIC heraus gegründet wurde. Ebenso bündelt das RIC die Wasserstoff- und Kohlenstoffaktivitäten der Universität. Allen Arbeiten im Resources Innovation Center Leoben ist eines gemein: Sie sind thematisch verknüpft und ergänzen sich. Die Resultate zielen alle auf nachhaltige Innovation im Ressourcenbereich für eine bessere Zukunft ab.

Understanding users’ contribution in open innovation communities: a social capital perspective

Purpose As users often lack the motivation to contribute their ideas and knowledge in open innovation communities, it is necessary to identify the determinants of users’ contribution. This paper aims to examine users’ contribution in open innovation communities based on the social capital theory. Design/methodology/approach The authors collected 474 valid responses from a survey and adopted structural equation modeling (SEM) to conduct data analysis. Findings The results indicated that social interaction, which includes informational and emotional interaction, has a significant effect on social capital, which in turn affects users’ contribution. Research limitations/implications The results imply that companies need to facilitate users’ interactions and develop social capital to promote their contribution in open innovation communities. Originality/value Although previous research has found the effect of individual motivations such as perceived benefits and behavioural control on innovation community users’ behaviour, it has seldom considered the effect of social capital embedded within the social relationship networking. This research tries to fill the gap and the results disclosed the mechanism underlying open innovation community users’ contribution.

Higher education and the COVID-19 pandemic: navigating disruption using the sustainable development goals

The COVID-19 health crisis has caused profound social and economic disruptions. Affecting everyone, its impact is not equal. Exacerbating deep social fissures and long-standing systemic inequalities, the pandemic reveals the fragilities and inequities in global higher education. Accelerating underlying trends and triggering seismic shifts in the sector, collective efforts over a period of weeks delivered massive change in a sector not known for being fleet-of-foot. As we envisage the ‘next normal’ for higher education, problems with the ‘old normal’ may be fixed and some recent innovations carried forward. Representing a period of punctuated equilibrium, COVID-19 could lead to transformation of the sector towards greater equity and impact across teaching/learning, research/innovation, community service/engagement and the staff/students’ experience. As we ask, “When will HE open again?”, and “When we do, what will it be like?” we may also find ourselves considering “Will some institutions open at all?” Seeking to navigate these volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous times—so-called VUCA conditions—we propose that the SDGs are positioned as a lens to re-imagine higher education in mounting an antifragility response. We examine whether a new paradigm is forming that could be more sustainable as budgets, priorities and institutional archetypes are challenged fundamentally in line with delivery against the SDGs.