Bridging local and global networks: middle-ground association affiliation and stakeholder embeddedness in regional innovation ecosystems
研究区域创新生态系统中中间层协会的隶属关系如何影响利益相关者的网络嵌入性，发现协会成员更易建立直接联系并占据核心位置，但国内外成员存在差异，对政策制定有启示。
This study explores the relationship between affiliation with middle-ground associations and stakeholders’ network embeddedness in the regional innovation ecosystem. Based on a two-mode stakeholder–event network of the BioQuébec pharmaceutical cluster in Canada, we discover that affiliates of middle-ground associations are more likely to establish direct ties with partners and to occupy pivotal positions. Foreign affiliates often appear at the network core, while foreign non-affiliates tend to connect with peripheral communities. In contrast, domestic affiliates show a higher risk of remaining isolated. Policymakers should leverage the intermediation roles of middle-ground associations in enhancing cross-border collaborations in the regional innovation ecosystems.