How do university-firm interactions affect firm innovation speed? The case of Chinese science-intensive SMEs
研究区分正式与非正式校企互动，发现研发联盟通过企业创业导向提升创新速度，但频繁非正式接触会削弱这一效果，基于268家中国科技园区中小企业的数据分析。
This study examines how university-firm (U-F) interactions affect innovation speed in science-intensive small and medium-sized firms (SISMEs). We distinguish between formal and informal U-F interactions and build on dynamic capability theory to argue that (1) U-F R&D alliances enhance innovation speed through firm-level entrepreneurial orientation (EO), and (2) frequent U-F informal contacts weaken the effects of U-F R&D alliances on innovation speed. Analyzing a sample of 268 SISMEs from 10 science parks in China, the results of the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) support our hypotheses. Furthermore, fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) identifies various configurations of U-F R&D alliances, U-F informal contacts and EO, along with other organizational, science park and environmental conditions, that lead to higher or lower innovation speed in SISMEs. Our findings offer valuable theoretical and practical insights, advancing our understanding of the complex relationship between U-F interactions and innovation speed in SISMEs.