Repeated partnerships in university‐industry collaboration portfolios and firm innovation performance: roles of absorptive capacity and political connections
研究了中国制造业768个校企合作组合数据，发现重复合作关系会降低企业创新绩效，但通过提升吸收能力可部分缓解，且政治关联会强化这一中介作用。
There is little empirical evidence on the relationship between repeated partnerships and firm innovation performance in the university‐industry collaboration (UIC) portfolio context. This study investigates how repeated partnerships in UIC portfolios influence focal firms’ innovation performance. Using a panel dataset of 768 UIC portfolios in the Chinese manufacturing industry, we theorize and reveal that repeated partnerships in UIC portfolios exert a negative effect on firm innovation performance. Besides, UIC portfolio repeated partnerships have a positive effect on absorptive capacity and that absorptive capacity partially mediates the relationship between UIC portfolio repeated partnerships and firm innovation performance, and political connections strengthen this relationship. These findings contribute to previous research on repeated partnerships and alliance portfolios, and provide practical implications for both firm managers and policymakers.