The spatiotemporal evolution of global innovation networks and the changing position of China: a social network analysis based on cooperative patents

This study uses global patent cooperation data from 1999 to 2020, employs social network analysis, and explores the changes in and driving forces of global innovation networks (GINs) in the past 20 years as well as the change in China's position in the global innovation system. The results show that on the whole, the network accessibility of GINs has continuously improved, showing scale‐free network characteristics. The important nodes in the network are mainly developed countries such as Europe and the United States, and the node polarization effect has weakened; the network has four agglomeration subgroups. The phenomenon of subgroups and factions is not obvious. Further factor identification shows that economic factors and technological information factors have the strongest correlation with the innovation network and that demographic factors have a weaker correlation with the innovation network. In addition, China's position in the innovation network has been increasing year by year, and the role of ‘transit stations’ has become increasingly prominent.