Impact of Technological Innovation Capacity Factors on the Sustainable Development in China's Biopharmaceutical Industry

Abstract

Sustainability has increasingly become a focal point across various research domains, particularly within emerging industries. Among these, the biopharmaceutical sector holds a significant position in the evolving Chinese economic landscape. The substantial potential of this field, and its alignment with sustainability and sustainable entrepreneurship, is closely linked to the sector’s capacity for technological innovation and its ability to address development-related challenges. Nonetheless, in developing countries such as China, there remains a notable deficiency in initiatives aimed at cultivating such impact capacities. The sector has largely overlooked opportunities to leverage its influence to advance industrial development. The rapid progression of economic and technological innovation, coupled with uneven developmental patterns, has resulted in heightened uncertainty, increased interdependence, and a growing network of mutual connections. To comprehend this collaborative operational paradigm, it is essential to focus on intentional management approaches and to assess both the extent and nature of interactions among various influencing elements within these complex, large-scale systems. Without a comprehensive analytical framework, sustainable industrial development and entrepreneurial innovation within the sector are likely to encounter considerable difficulties. These obstacles may impede progress not only in enterprise-level innovation but also in the broader sustainable advancement of key strategic industries related to biopharmaceuticals. This research aims to construct an impact model grounded in a hierarchical theoretical framework, employing Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM) in conjunction with the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method, to identify and evaluate the foundational challenges that must be addressed in order to realise sustainability-oriented development goals.