Analysis of the Impact of Digital Economy on R&D Innovation

Abstract

The digital economy has become a key engine for the new direction of the world economic situation and a key driving force for development and innovation in the era of Industry 4.0. In recent years, China’s digital economy has made significant progress in industrial digitization, infrastructure construction, digital foreign trade, digital government construction, and new forms of digital economy. It is necessary to adhere to innovation as the primary driving force for leading the development and progress of the digital economy. This article integrates 19 indicators related to the digital economy into the Digital Economy Development Index. And the R&D innovation data of 31 provinces in China from 2020 to 2023 were organized to study the impact of the digital economy on inter provincial R&D innovation in China. Panel data regression was conducted on R&D innovation, digital economy, and other control variables from 2020 to 2023, and regression analysis was conducted on the data from 2020 to 2023. It was found that the digital economy has a significant driving effect on research and development innovation in 31 provinces of China from 2020 to 2023. This article proposes relevant policy recommendations for China’s future development of the digital economy and promotion of innovation based on the above research. China should continue to strengthen the construction of fixed and mobile infrastructure, vigorously promote the integration of industrialization and informatization, explore new ways to integrate the digital economy with the real economy and promote the development of new forms of digital economy in China.