The Impact of Cooperation Network Evolution on Communication Technology Innovation: A Network Interaction Perspective

Seeking inter-organisation cooperation is an important way to achieve communication technology innovation, and dynamic networked cooperation deserves more attention. The present paper aims to reveal the influence of cooperation network evolution on communication technological innovation. Based on the cooperative patent in the communications industry in China during the years 2002-2021, this paper constructs negative binomial regression models to analyse the impact of network structure and node evolution characteristics on communication technological innovation and the interaction between them. The results show that, at the level of network structure, the clustering coefficient always significantly negatively impacts technological innovation. The influence of network closure has changed from positive to negative. For network nodes, the influence of centrality on technological innovation has changed from positive to negative. The impact of structural holes is always positive. Regarding network interaction, the interaction between clustering coefficient and centrality changes from positive to negative, but the interaction with structural holes is always negative. The positive effect of network closure interacting with network node characteristics diminishes. This study can fill the research gap in network interaction and dynamic networks and provide a reference for innovative organisations to find suitable partners for promoting communication technology innovations.