AREA Ruhr is pleased to announce that the third volume in the AREA Ruhr Working Papers series has just been published. In the paper on “AI-Development in Tianjin, PR China: Triple Helix Patterns for a ‘Mission-oriented’ Innovation Endeavor”, Markus Taube analyzes current developments in AI-related innovation from the perspective of the triple helix paradigm. The study focuses its attention on related activities in Tianjin, identifying a “balanced” triple helix featuring a disproportionately strong, agenda-setting and implementation-controlling state accompanied by extensive boundary crossing activities between the three helix strands.
The AREA (Alliance for Research on East Asia) Ruhr Working Papers offer insights into ongoing and completed research projects on East Asia – from a variety of disciplinary approaches. Its third volume was now published and is available for download via the CrossAsia E-Publishing repositorium.
Volume 3 (2025)
AI-Development in Tianjin, PR China: Triple Helix Patterns for a “Mission-oriented” Innovation Endeavor
Taube, Markus
Abstract
The development and society-wide implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) has become understood as being of crucial importance for economic advancement and international competitiveness. This study suggests conceptualizing the Chinese drive for AI-related innovation as a “grand project” that follows the design of “mission-oriented” innovation policies. Analyzing current developments from the perspective of the triple helix paradigm, the study focuses its attention on related activities in Tianjin. Here it identifies a “balanced” triple helix featuring a disproportionately strong, agenda-setting and implementation-controlling state accompanied by extensive boundary crossing activities between the three helix strands. Hybrid institutions that provide bridges between the strands of government, academia and industry are understood to facilitate intensive exchange and highly productive interaction between different types of actors.