Characteristics of collaborative innovation network and enterprise technological innovation performance: based on the moderating effect of environmental regulation

Technological innovation is an internal driving force for enterprise sustainability, and collaborative innovation under network conditions is becoming increasingly important due to the limited knowledge, resources and risk-taking capacity of individual enterprises. This paper explores the impact on technological innovation performance from both the network location characteristics and relationship characteristics of enterprises by utilizing 454 listed manufacturing enterprises as research sample. A negative binomial regression model is constructed for empirical analysis. The results show that: (1) Closeness centrality, structural hole and environmental regulation positively promote technological innovation of enterprises; (2) Network relationship has an inverted U-shape relationship with technological innovation performance of enterprises; (3) Environmental regulation can amplify the effects of closeness centrality and structural holes on technological innovation performance of enterprises, but weakens the inverted U-shape relationship between network relationship and technological innovation performance of enterprises. These findings provide valuable insights on how to rationally utilize network locations and relationships to improve technological innovation performance. Moreover, this study adds to the current body of technological innovation literature and provides targeted recommendations for the scientific formulation and implementation of environmental regulation policies and the network-based development of manufacturing enterprises.