Sustainability | Free Full-Text | Independent Innovation or Secondary Innovation: The Moderating of Network Embedded Innovation

Based on the provincial data of China’s high-tech industries from 2009 to 2019, this paper constructs a stepwise regression to analyze the effect of innovation inputs, independent and secondary innovation, and innovation value, while being mediated and moderated by innovation ability and innovation network, respectively. We found that in general, innovation inputs had a significant positive direct effect on innovation valuation: a one unit increase of independent innovation increased 0.60 units of innovation valuation, and a one unit increase of secondary innovation input increased 0.78 units of innovation valuation. Innovation ability was found to be a partial mediator for independent innovation (0.74), and a complete mediator for secondary innovation (0.90). Finally, the innovation network showed significant moderating effects in both innovation input methods. Empirical research indicates that China is entering an era shifting from secondary innovation to independent innovation, and Chinese high-tech companies should focus on independent innovation.