From innovation to knowledge innovation

He Chuanqi

Prof. Chinese Academy of Sciences

Director, Tone Modernization Club in Beijing (TONE)

The origin of innovation

Webster’s dictionary

Originated in 15th

Innovate, verb,

(1) To introduce something as or as if new.

(2)To make change

Innovation, noun

First Wave: Joseph A. Schumpeter’s innovation

In 1912, Theory of economy development

Definition of innovation in the field of economy

The first business application of the invention,

To introduce a new combine of productive factors and conditions to the system,

To fund a new production function

(1)      To introduce a new product,

(2)      To adopt a new process of production,

(3)      To access a new market,

(4)      To control a new resource of the material,

(5)      To realize a new organization.

Second Wave: Technological Innovation

1950s—1960s 

Technological innovation

(1) Product innovation

(2) Process innovation

The first business use of invention

Systematic innovation

Davis, North, 1971, Systematic changes and growth of America economy

Third Wave: Industrial Innovation

1970s—1980s 

Industrial innovation

Freeman, 1982, The economics of industrial innovation

Basic research, invent, develop, innovation

1.        Incremental innovation

2.        Radical innovation,

3.        Change of technology system,

4.        Change in techno-economic paradigm

Technological innovation

Rothwell, Robertson, 1973, innovation process model

Utterback, 1979, Rate of major innovation (product and process)

Kline, Rosenberg, 1982, chain-link model

Nelson, Levin, 1984, technological innovation and science

Fourth Wave: Innovation System 

1990s

National technological innovation system

Freeman, 1987, innovation system is a network of organization for tech. innovation

Nelson, 1993, comparison of the NISs

National innovation system

Lundvall, 1992, learning theory

OECD, 1994, 1997, 1998

Metcalfe, 1997, knowledge, skill, technology

He Chuanqi, 1998, four subsystem of the NIS

Innovation

OECD, 1992, Oslo manual

Technological innovation: new product and new process, and its remarkable changes

Innovation includes a series of activities of science, technology, organization, finance and business

OECD, 1997, Oslo manual

Technological innovation: tech. product innovation, tech. Process innovation, and its remarkable changes

Non-technological innovation: organizational innovation, management innovation, etc.

Industrial innovation: all kind of innovations in industry

Innovation: includes R&D, knowledge acquire, equipment acquire, production prepare, marketing, etc.

Innovation----Tech. Innovation  

(1)  Non clear, sole definition,

(2)  Exchange as one please

Fifth Wave: Knowledge Innovation

21st century

Barber, 1952, Science and the social order,

science innovation: discovery, invention

Debra M. Amidon, 1993,

knowledge innovation: “the creation, evolution, exchange and application of new ideas into marketable goods and services for the excellence of an enterprise, the vitality of a nation’s economy and advancement of society as-a-whole”

He Chuanqi, 1998

Knowledge innovation:

(1) The process of acquiring new scientific knowledge through R&D

(2) The process of acquiring and creating new knowledge for economic and social benefit

(3) Knowledge innovation will occur in the process of the production, transmission and use of knowledge

(4) National knowledge innovation system

He Chuanqi, 2000

Knowledge innovation: to discover, invent, create or use new knowledge firstly in the world.

(1)  scientific discovery,

(2)  technological invention,

(3)  knowledge creation,

(4)  new knowledge application firstly

The three stages of the development of the NISs