Available online: http://www.inderscience.com/browse/callpaper.php?callID=1765

Yu Xiong and YuZhou, Queen’s University, UK

Zhongkai Xiong,Chongqing University, China

John Law, BritishCouncil, UK

China has transformed itself from a planning- to amarket-oriented economy over the past three decades and has sustained a longperiod of rapid economic growth, to which the contributions from innovation inscience and technology have become increasingly important.

China’s latest five-year(2011-2015) plan aims to expand its number of scientists and engineers, toestablish hi-tech industrial parks, to encourage venture capital investment, tobetter protect intellectual property rights, and to build a moreinnovation-oriented nation. With the government’s strong support, Chinesecompanies and scientific and research institutes are becoming more and moreconfident and ambitious in R&D investment, and a great number of collegegraduates are becoming motivated to start up their own businesses. At the sametime, most multinationals are enhancing their profiles as innovative players inChina. These emerging changes in China will have huge impacts not only on Chinabut also on the rest of the world.

The aims of this specialissue are firstly to celebrate the success of the UK's Prime MinisterInitiative (PMI) programme, originally launched by Tony Blair in 2001. Thisinfluential programme has strengthened international collaboration oninnovation and entrepreneurship between the UK and partner counties. During thesecond five year cycle of this programme, hundreds of connections have beenestablished between the UK and China, and an enormous number of outcomes havebeen generated from these projects.

Secondly, the issue aims topublish the best full papers from the International Forum on InnovationOriented Economics (IFION'12), with a special focus on innovation andentrepreneurship in China. IFION'12 aims to bring together researchers andpractitioners in the field of innovation-oriented economics from around theworld.

The call is also open toresearchers unable attend the Forum, and the Guest Editors seek to publish highquality, state-of-the-art research findings which contribute to better understandingChina-related innovation and entrepreneurship. Contributions from participantsof previous PMI projects or IFIOE'12 are particularly welcome.

The research methodologyfor papers in this issue includes but is not limited to analytical modelling, conceptualpapers, empirical studies and case studies.

Suitable topics include but are not limited to:

·        New trends in Chinese government policies oninnovation and entrepreneurship

·        The interaction between China's centralgovernment and local governments in promoting innovation and entrepreneurship

·        New trends in innovation strategy of Chinesestart-ups/established firms/scientific and research institutes

·        The interface between innovation andmanufacturing/marketing/after-market in Chinese start-ups and established firms

·        The international influences of China'sinnovation and entrepreneurship

·        The role of innovation and entrepreneurshipin Chinese economic transformation

·        International technical cooperation andtechnology transfer between China and western countries

Submitted papers should not have been previouslypublished nor be currently under consideration for publication elsewhere. (N.B.Conference papers may only be submitted if the paper was not originally copyrightedand if it has been completely re-written).

All papers are refereedthrough a peer review process. A guide for authors, sample copies and otherrelevant information for submitting papers are available on the AuthorGuidelines page.

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