UQ Business School Associate Professor in Innovation and Commercialisation, Damian Hine has been awarded a $105,000AUD research grant by The National Natural Science Foundation of China (NFSC) with his colleague Zhejiang University Professor Gongmin Bao.
The 2016-2019 grant will see the experts conduct a longitudinal investigation into how firms’ management capabilities drive innovations in their business models.
Each of these is essential to achieving competitive advantage for firms, especially during China’s rapid economic transition.
The city of Hangzhou where Zhejiang University is located is considered the innovation and entrepreneurship hub of China – having spawned the likes of Alibaba and Huawei.
Zhejiang University has a close relationship with these and many other high technology firms, affording an unsurpassed opportunity for innovation research.
Associate Professor Hine says the grant is rarely awarded to Australian academics, and it provides an excellent opportunity to build connections with Chinese researchers.
“It’s exciting to be working with Professor Bao on this project. China is transitioning so rapidly through its technology base and very agile business models, and Hangzhou is at the heart of this transition. Both Chinese and Australian industry can learn a lot from documenting and analysing this dynamic process in real time,” he said.
The NFSC is a prestigious, government-funded institution dedicated to supporting basic research with a focus on science and technology by fostering talented researchers, developing international cooperation, and promoting socioeconomic development.
The Foundation presents awards to over 1500 host institutions per year, facilitating the research of both individuals and groups of investigators to work at the frontiers of scientific and technological knowledge.
PhD students under the supervision of Associate Professor Hine and Professor Bao, will support the investigation, with the opportunity to co-author the research supported by the grant.
