Cross border innovation breaks through the constraints of the original boundaries, and through the collision, intersection and integration of different fields, it can produce innovative achievements of great value. To carry out cross-border innovation continuously and effectively, a "cross-border innovation community" should be established to attract the agglomeration of production factors and the participation of innovation subjects.

At the conference celebrating the 40th anniversary of reform and opening up, Comrade Xi Jinping pointed out that we should adhere to the concept that innovation is the first driving force and talent is the first resource, implement the innovation driven development strategy, improve the national innovation system, accelerate independent innovation in key core technologies, and create a new engine for economic and social development. Reviewing the 40 year history of reform and opening up, the primary driving force of innovation for economic development is growing. In the fierce international competition, only innovators advance, only innovators are strong, and only innovators win.

In today's era, cross-border innovation has become an important form of innovation, which can be called the accelerator of innovation. Cross border innovation refers to the realization of original, breakthrough and leading innovation based on a certain direction and goal, across the boundaries of cognition, behavior and thinking in time, space, field and culture. It can break through the shackles of the original boundaries, break through the old innovation system through the collision, intersection and integration of different fields, form a new innovation system, and then produce some unexpected and far-reaching innovation achievements. Many major scientific discoveries and technological inventions are the products of cross-border innovation. Around us, cross-border innovation is constantly emerging. For example, through cross-border innovation, the modern textile industry is no longer limited to providing products for traditional industries such as garment processing industry, but can also serve high-tech industries such as biomedicine and aerospace by providing fiber materials; Modern agriculture no longer only provides food and industrial raw materials, but also has the functions of tourism, leisure, experience and appreciation through integration with tourism and other industries.

In practice, cross-border innovation has the following connotations: "innovation" in cross-border innovation is not general innovation, but original, breakthrough and leading innovation; The "cross-border" innovation in cross-border innovation can cross the boundaries of time, space, field, culture, etc., and is extremely inclusive; Value creation is the core of cross-border innovation. The "hard innovation" of natural science and engineering technology reflects the "hard strength" of cross-border innovation, while the "soft innovation" of institutional mechanism, business model, ideas and organizational management reflects the "soft strength" of cross-border innovation. The combination of the two constitutes the comprehensive strength of cross-border innovation.

Risk and return are often in direct proportion. Cross border innovation focuses on original, breakthrough and leading innovation with great value, and generally has high investment risk. The key to achieving cross-border innovation is to promote technology and product innovation through resource integration, so as to derive new business forms, create new demands and open up new development space. To carry out cross-border innovation continuously and effectively, we should establish a "cross-border innovation community" to attract the concentration of production factors and the participation of innovation subjects. Through the effective integration of various resources and continuous institutional innovation, we can realize the sharing of innovation resources and benefits, stimulate greater innovation and creativity, and support a reasonable structure, advanced and functional, open and compatible Independent, controllable and internationally competitive modern industrial technology system.

(Authors: Tsinghua University, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China)

People's Daily (February 21, 2019, version 09)

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