The effect of university–industry collaboration policy on universities’ knowledge innovation and achievements transformation: based on innovation chain

Based on the measurement of policies issued at ministerial and provincial levels in China, this research studied the effect of the university–industry collaboration policy (UIC policy) on universities’ knowledge innovation and achievement transformations. Using the panel data from universities in 30 provinces from 2000 to 2013, we examined the effects of UIC policy on two sources’ R&D input (enterprise–university collaboration input and government–university collaboration input), knowledge output and the achievement of transformation at different stages of the innovation chain. The results showed that the UIC policy had a significantly positive effect on both enterprise–university collaboration input and government–university collaboration input. The relationship between the UIC policy and the knowledge output, and the relationship between the UIC policy and the achievement transformation, were an inverted U-shape. For universities that were mainly engaged in enterprise–university collaboration actives, the UIC policy had a threshold effect on the interactive relationship between government–university collaboration input and enterprise–university collaboration input.