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<p>Higher education plays a key role in driving innovation, and the concentration of prestigious universities enhances the innovative capacity of local firms. Using data from 3,294 listed companies across 31 provinces in China (2008–2017), this study finds that the agglomeration of prestigious universities—particularly through the concentration of both research personnel and projects—significantly promotes firm innovation, as measured by patent applications. Spatial regression analysis reveals variation in innovation effects from prestigious university agglomeration, with research personnel showing notable spatial spillover effects. However, the local-to-neighboring effects of prestigious university research projects are more limited. Furthermore, executives educated at local prestigious universities amplify the impact of university agglomeration on firm innovation. Their interactions with university research personnel and projects further enhance innovation output in local firms. These findings highlight the importance of balancing the concentration of educational resources with regional equity and leveraging locally educated executives to foster university-industry collaboration. The study provides practical recommendations for optimizing higher education resources to drive regional innovation growth.</p>

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Prestigious university agglomeration and regional firm innovation: Evidence from China

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年11月7日

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  • Pei Chen,
  • Hongyu Liu,
  • Yuecong Zhou,
  • Yifang Ma,
  • Fan Jiang

摘要

Higher education plays a key role in driving innovation, and the concentration of prestigious universities enhances the innovative capacity of local firms. Using data from 3,294 listed companies across 31 provinces in China (2008–2017), this study finds that the agglomeration of prestigious universities—particularly through the concentration of both research personnel and projects—significantly promotes firm innovation, as measured by patent applications. Spatial regression analysis reveals variation in innovation effects from prestigious university agglomeration, with research personnel showing notable spatial spillover effects. However, the local-to-neighboring effects of prestigious university research projects are more limited. Furthermore, executives educated at local prestigious universities amplify the impact of university agglomeration on firm innovation. Their interactions with university research personnel and projects further enhance innovation output in local firms. These findings highlight the importance of balancing the concentration of educational resources with regional equity and leveraging locally educated executives to foster university-industry collaboration. The study provides practical recommendations for optimizing higher education resources to drive regional innovation growth.