Evolutionary Characteristics of the Innovation Cooperation Network Structure in China's Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration_Vol. 3 No. 4 (JMSD 2026)_Journal of Management and Social Development (ISSN: 3005-5741)

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Evolutionary Characteristics of the Innovation Cooperation Network Structure in China's Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.62517/jmsd.202612411

Author(s)

Jun Zhang

Affiliation(s)

School of Energy, Environmental and Geomatics Engineering, Anqing Normal University, Anqing, Anhui, China

Abstract

This paper will study the network of innovation cooperation in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) Area and focus on the 27 selected nodal cities. Based on the co-filed patent application data from 2014 to 2025, an undirected graph with multiple values has been built, and then social network analysis (SNA) was used to study the structure and evolution of this network. The findings are as follows: (1) the horizontal cooperative ties are strong, but the vertical links are weak; most patent collaborations occur in Shanghai, Suzhou, Nanjing and Hefei, and together they form the core of the network. (2) The development of the innovation cooperation network is uneven across the YRD urban agglomeration, with disparities among node cities gradually widening and the network displaying increasing clustering, demonstrating notable small-world network characteristics. (3) Among the urban clusters in the Yangtze River Delta, Shanghai has become the top coordinating institution for cooperative innovation, and many other municipalities in Anhui as well as the peripheral areas of Zhejiang and Jiangsu have not yet joined such collaborations. To promote the coordinated development of the region, we should utilise the driving force provided by the major cities, at the same time foster characteristic innovative strengths in the peripheral areas, build open and flexible systems for sharing intellectual resources, continuously improve distribution, and thus create a more equitable network of urban innovation throughout YRD.

Keywords

Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration; Regional Innovation Network; Patent Cooperation; Social Network Analysis; Network Dynamic Evolution

References

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