A new approach to assessing the science and technology competitiveness of China＇s provincial academies of sciences

Purpose： This study aims to establish a new framework for evaluating science and technology （S＆T） competitiveness that is appropriate to meet the needs of provincial academies of sciences （PASs） in China. Design/methodology/approaches： An evaluation index, including such assessing indicators as research strength, research impact, research development and trends, and regional contributions, is developed for China＇s PASs. Taking the Jiangxi Academy of Sciences （JXAS） as an example, we first explain how to apply this framework to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of PASs in China. Then, we compare the results of all 17 PASs in order to get a comprehensive understanding of their competitiveness. Findings： Our results show the development path, current status, innovation advantages, and weaknesses of JXAS very clearly. Based on our comparative analysis, we ranked the 17 PASs from the perspective of different dimensions, by which their competitiveness strengths and weaknesses can be highlighted for improvement. Research limitations： In this analysis, we did not take S＆T policies, S＆T systems, or historical factors into consideration. Thus, we may have ignored the influence of the soft individual differences of different PASs in China.. Practical implications： The evaluation index developed in this paper provides a useful insight into an analytical method that can be used by PASs or other provincial research institutions （PRIs） to assess their competitiveness. Originality/value： Compared with existing evaluation frameworks, our method has two main characteristics： First, we added three new dimensions, including the PASs＇ applicable research outputs, regional contributions, and comparative advantages; second, we conducted a comparative analysis of local research institutes in their different advantaged industrial areas, which makes our analytical method more comprehensive for local research institutions.