How does the collaborative innovation network in construction industry evolve? Evidence from China
Abstract
Technology innovation in the construction industry involves collaboration among multiple innovation organizations which formed an intricate collaborative innovation network (CIN). To understand the evolution characteristics of structural characteristics of CIN in China’s construction industry and to clarify the collaborative patterns among innovation organizations, the CIN were analyzed in terms of overall network characteristics and local collaborative patterns by using the social network analysis (SNA) and network motif analysis (NMA), respectively based on the data of projects winning the China’s Science and Technology Award in Construction (CSTAC) in 2004–2021. The results indicate that the CIN became larger but less connected and exhibited scale-free and small-world characteristics during the study period. There is a giant component in the CIN, which is gradually increasing in size and becoming more cohesive. China Academy of Building Research which had the highest degree centrality and closeness centrality and Tongji University which had the largest betweenness centrality had an important position in CIN. The main collaborative innovation mode in China’s construction industry is collaboration between enterprises, followed by collaboration between enterpriseuniversity, which has an increasing share. The results help organizations clarify their position in the CIN and inform their development of co-innovation partners.
Keyword : collaborative innovation network, technology innovation, social network analysis, network motif analysis, dynamic evolution, collaborative pattern, construction industry
How to Cite
Wang, F., & Cheng, M. (2025). How does the collaborative innovation network in construction industry evolve? Evidence from China. Journal of Civil Engineering and Management, 31(2), 102–117. https://doi.org/10.3846/jcem.2025.23017
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
Alsomiri, M., Liu, Z., Abadel, A. A., & Li, M. (2023). Revision and development of material models of ultra-high performance concrete containing coarse aggregate and applications in structural-level flexural response predictions. Structures, 51, 332–350. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.istruc.2023.03.058
Andersson, D. E., Galaso, P., & Sáiz, P. (2019). Patent collaboration networks in Sweden and Spain during the Second Industrial Revolution. Industry and Innovation, 26(9), 1075–1102. https://doi.org/10.1080/13662716.2019.1577720
Barabási, A. L., & Albert, R. (1999). Emergence of scaling in random networks. Science, 286, 509–512. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.286.5439.509
Barabási, A. L., & Bonabeau, E. (2003). Scale-free networks. Scientific American, 288(5), 60–69. https://doi.org/10.1038/scientificamerican0503-60
Barabási, A. L., & Oltvai, Z. N. (2004). Network biology: Understanding the cell’s functional organization. Nature Reviews Genetics, 5(2), 101–115. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg1272
Breschi, S., & Lenzi, C. (2016). Co-invention networks and inventive productivity in US cities. Journal of Urban Economics, 92, 66–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jue.2015.12.003
Cheng, M., Yi, X., Wang, F., & Cheng, X. (2023). Measuring the technological innovation efficiency of listed construction companies in China. Construction Management, 27, 5057–5070. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-023-2083-8
Clauset, A., Newman, M. E. J., & Moore, C. (2004). Finding community structure in very large networks. Physical Review E, 70(6), Article 066111. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.70.066111
Clauset, A., Shalizi, C. R., & Newman, M. E. J. (2009). Power-law distributions in empirical data. SIAM Review, 51(4), 661–703. https://doi.org/10.1137/070710111
De Iudicibus, A., Prota, L., & Savoia, F. (2024). Assessing the role of technological districts in regional innovation policies: A network analysis of collaborative R&D projects. Journal of Technology Transfer. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-024-10088-4
De Noni, I., Orsi, L., & Belussi, F. (2018). The role of collaborative networks in supporting the innovation performances of lagging-behind European regions. Research Policy, 47(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2017.09.006
Dou, B., & Bo, Q. (2022). Characteristics and dynamics of BIM adoption in China: Social network analysis. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 148(6), Article 04022025. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0002276
Dou, Y., Xue, X., Wang, Y., Xue, W., & Huangfu, W. (2021). Evaluation of enterprise technology innovation capability in prefabricated construction in China. Construction Innovation, 22(4), 1059–1084. https://doi.org/10.1108/ci-12-2020-0196
Galaso, P., & Kovarik, J. (2021). Collaboration networks, geography and innovation: Local and national embeddedness. Papers in Regional Science, 100(2), 349–378. https://doi.org/10.1111/pirs.12578
Graf, H. (2011). Gatekeepers in regional networks of innovators. Cambridge Journal of Economics, 35(1), 173–198. https://doi.org/10.1093/cje/beq001
Hwang, I. (2023). Evolution of the collaborative innovation network in the Korean ICT industry: A patent-based analysis. Technology Analysis & Strategic Management, 35(2), 221–236. https://doi.org/10.1080/09537325.2021.1971191
Han, Y., Li, Y., Taylor, J. E., & Zhong, J. (2018). Characteristics and evolution of innovative collaboration networks in architecture, engineering, and construction: Study of national prize-winning projects in China. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 144(6), Article 04018038. https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)co.1943-7862.0001499
Hu, F., Mou, S., Wei, S., Qiu, L., Hu, H., & Zhou, H. (2024a). Research on the evolution of China’s photovoltaic technology innovation network from the perspective of patents. Energy Strategy Reviews, 51, Article 101309. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esr.2024.101309
Hu, F., Qiu, L., Wei, S., Zhou, H., Bathuure, I. A., & Hu, H. (2024b). The spatiotemporal evolution of global innovation networks and the changing position of China: a social network analysis based on cooperative patents. R&D Management, 54(3), 574–589. https://doi.org/10.1111/radm.12662
König, M. D., Battiston, S., Napoletano, M., & Schweitzer, F. (2011). Recombinant knowledge and the evolution of innovation networks. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 79(3), 145–164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2011.01.007
Li, T., & Zhou, X. (2022). Research on the mechanism of government-industry-university-institute collaborative innovation in green technology based on game-based cellular automata. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(5), Article 3046. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19053046
Li, F., Liu, W., & Bi, K. (2021). Exploring and visualizing spatial-temporal evolution of patent collaboration networks: A case of China’s intelligent manufacturing equipment industry. Technology in Society, 64, Article 101483. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2020.101483
Liu, W., Song, Y., & Bi, K. (2021a). Exploring the patent collaboration network of China’s wind energy industry: A study based on patent data from CNIPA. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, 144, Article 110989. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2021.110989
Liu, L., Zhao, M., Fu, L., & Cao, J. (2021b). Unraveling local relationship patterns in project networks: A network motif approach. International Journal of Project Management, 39(5), 437–448. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2021.02.004
Liu, W., Tao, Y., & Bi, K. (2023). Exploring temporal and spatial evolution of the patent collaboration network: A case study of smart grid field in China. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 70(4), 1605–1620. https://doi.org/10.1109/TEM.2020.2974797
Liu, W., Guo, Y., & Bi, K. (2024). Exploring collaborative innovation evolution of China’s energy conservation and environmental protection industry: A social network analysis based on patents. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 39(5), 1008–1028. https://doi.org/10.1108/jbim-04-2022-0177
Lu, Y., Liu, B., & Li, Y. (2021). Collaboration networks and bidding competitiveness in megaprojects. Journal of Management in Engineering, 37(6), Article 04021064. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000961
Mao, G., & Zhang, N. (2017). Fast approximation of average shortest path length of directed BA networks. Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 466, 243–248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physa.2016.09.025
Milazzo, M., Musciotto, F., Micciche, S., & Mantegna, R. N. (2022). Analysis of the structure and dynamics of European flight networks. Entropy, 24(2), Article 248. https://doi.org/10.3390/e24020248
Milo, R., Shen-Orr, S., Itzkovitz, S., Kashtan, N., Chklovskii, D., & Alon, U. (2002). Network motifs: Simple building blocks of complex networks. Science, 298, 824–827. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.298.5594.824
Milo, R., Itzkovitz, S., Kashtan, N., Levitt, R., Shen-Orr, S., Ayzenshtat, I., Sheffer, M., & Alon, U. (2004). Superfamilies of evolved and designed networks. Science, 303, 1538–1542. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1089167
Neal, Z. (2018). Is the urban world small? The evidence for small world structure in urban networks. Networks & Spatial Economics, 18(3), 615–631. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11067-018-9417-y
Newman, M. E. J. (2006). Modularity and community structure in networks. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 103(23), 8577–8582. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0601602103
Park, S., & Zhong, R. (2022). Pattern recognition of travel mobility in a city destination: Application of network motif analytics. Journal of Travel Research, 61(5), 1201–1216. https://doi.org/10.1177/00472875211024739
Pu, Y., Li, Y., & Wang, Y. (2021). Structure characteristics and influencing factors of cross-border electricity trade: A complex network perspective. Sustainability, 13(11), Article 5797. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13115797
Pu, G., Zhu, X., Dai, J., & Chen, X. (2022). Understand technological innovation investment performance: Evolution of industry-university-research cooperation for technological innovation of lithium-ion storage battery in China. Journal of Energy Storage, 46, Article 103607. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.est.2021.103607
Qiang, G., Cao, D., Wu, G., Zhao, X., & Zuo, J. (2021). Dynamics of collaborative networks for green building projects: Case study of Shanghai. Journal of Management in Engineering, 37(3), Article 05021001. https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)me.1943-5479.0000892
Roberts, E. B. (2007). Managing invention and innovation. Research-Technology Management, 50(1), 35–54. https://doi.org/10.1080/08956308.2007.11657418
Shen, W., & Xue, J. (2023). Managing project-to-project interfaces for large-scale programmes: A network study in World expo 2020. International Journal of Project Management, 41(2), Article 102438. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2023.102438
Shen, G., Zhu, D., Chen, J., & Kong, X. (2022). Motif discovery based traffic pattern mining in attributed road networks. Knowledge-Based Systems, 250, Article 109035. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.knosys.2022.109035
Steinhaeuser, K., & Chawla, N. V. (2010). Identifying and evaluating community structure in complex networks. Pattern Recognition Letters, 31(5), 413–421. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.patrec.2009.11.001
Stone, L., Simberloff, D., & Artzy-Randrup, Y. (2019). Network motifs and their origins. Plos Computational Biology, 15(4), Article e1006749. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006749
Tavella, J., Windsor, F. M., Rother, D. C., Evans, D. M., Guimaraes, P. R. Jr., Palacios, T. P., Lois, M., & Devoto, M. (2022). Using motifs in ecological networks to identify the role of plants in crop margins for multiple agriculture functions. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment, 331, Article 107912. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2022.107912
Tomasello, M. V., Napoletano, M., Garas, A., & Schweitzer, F. (2017). The rise and fall of R&D networks. Industrial and Corporate Change, 26(4), 617–646. https://doi.org/10.1093/icc/dtw041
Van Wyk, L., Kajimo-Shakantu, K., & Opawole, A. (2024). Adoption of innovative technologies in the South African construction industry. International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation, 42(3), 410–429. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijbpa-06-2021-0090
Wang, X., & Chen, G. (2003). Complex networks: Small-world, scale-free and beyond. IEEE Circuits and Systems Magazine, 3(1), 6–20. https://doi.org/10.1109/MCAS.2003.1228503
Wang, Y., Thangasamy, V. K., Hou, Z., Tiong, R. L. K., & Zhang, L. (2020). Collaborative relationship discovery in BIM project delivery: A social network analysis approach. Automation in Construction, 114, Article 103147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2020.103147
Wang, Z., Wang, K., Wang, Y., & Wen, Z. (2022). A data management model for intelligent water project construction based on blockchain. Wireless Communications & Mobile Computing, 2022, Article 8482415. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/8482415
Wang, W., Jian, L., Lei, Y., Liu, J., & Wang, W. (2023a). Measurement and prediction of the relationships among the patent cooperation network, knowledge network and transfer network of the energy storage industry in China. Journal of Energy Storage, 67, Article 107467. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.est.2023.107467
Wang, F., Cheng, M., & Cheng, X. (2023b). Exploring the project-based collaborative networks between owners and contractors in the construction industry: Empirical study in China. Buildings, 13(3), Article 732. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13030732
Wang, B., Chen, H., Ao, Y., & Liao, F. (2023c). Spatiotemporal differentiation and influencing factors of green technology innovation efficiency in the construction industry: A case study of Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomeration. Buildings, 13(1), Article 73. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13010073
Watts, D. J., & Strogatz, S. H. (1998). Collective dynamics of ‘small-world’ networks. Nature, 393, 440–442. https://doi.org/10.1038/30918
Yu, L. (2023). Project engineering management evaluation based on GABP neural network and artificial intelligence. Soft Computing, 27(10), 6877–6889. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00500-023-08133-9
Yu, X., Cui, Y., Chen, Y., Chang, I., & Wu, J. (2022). The drivers of collaborative innovation of the comprehensive utilization technologies of coal fly ash in China: A network analysis. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 29(37), 56291–56308. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19816-5
Yu, P., Cai, Z., Jiang, F., & Sun, Y. (2023). Evaluation and analysis of leading position in hydrogen fuel cell vehicle innovation network and the influential factors: a case of patent citations in China. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 30(18), 53339–53354. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-25969-8
Zhang, S., & Wang, X. (2022). Does innovative city construction improve the industry-university-research knowledge flow in urban China?. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 174, Article 121200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.121200
Zhao, S., & Li, J. (2022). Impact of innovation network on regional innovation performance: Do network density, network openness and network strength have any influence?. Journal of Science and Technology Policy Management, 14(5), 982–999. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSTPM-05-2022-0084
Zhao, X., & Cheah, C. C. (2023). BIM-based indoor mobile robot initialization for construction automation using object detection. Automation in Construction, 146, Article 104647. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2022.104647
Andersson, D. E., Galaso, P., & Sáiz, P. (2019). Patent collaboration networks in Sweden and Spain during the Second Industrial Revolution. Industry and Innovation, 26(9), 1075–1102. https://doi.org/10.1080/13662716.2019.1577720
Barabási, A. L., & Albert, R. (1999). Emergence of scaling in random networks. Science, 286, 509–512. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.286.5439.509
Barabási, A. L., & Bonabeau, E. (2003). Scale-free networks. Scientific American, 288(5), 60–69. https://doi.org/10.1038/scientificamerican0503-60
Barabási, A. L., & Oltvai, Z. N. (2004). Network biology: Understanding the cell’s functional organization. Nature Reviews Genetics, 5(2), 101–115. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg1272
Breschi, S., & Lenzi, C. (2016). Co-invention networks and inventive productivity in US cities. Journal of Urban Economics, 92, 66–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jue.2015.12.003
Cheng, M., Yi, X., Wang, F., & Cheng, X. (2023). Measuring the technological innovation efficiency of listed construction companies in China. Construction Management, 27, 5057–5070. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-023-2083-8
Clauset, A., Newman, M. E. J., & Moore, C. (2004). Finding community structure in very large networks. Physical Review E, 70(6), Article 066111. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.70.066111
Clauset, A., Shalizi, C. R., & Newman, M. E. J. (2009). Power-law distributions in empirical data. SIAM Review, 51(4), 661–703. https://doi.org/10.1137/070710111
De Iudicibus, A., Prota, L., & Savoia, F. (2024). Assessing the role of technological districts in regional innovation policies: A network analysis of collaborative R&D projects. Journal of Technology Transfer. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-024-10088-4
De Noni, I., Orsi, L., & Belussi, F. (2018). The role of collaborative networks in supporting the innovation performances of lagging-behind European regions. Research Policy, 47(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2017.09.006
Dou, B., & Bo, Q. (2022). Characteristics and dynamics of BIM adoption in China: Social network analysis. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 148(6), Article 04022025. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0002276
Dou, Y., Xue, X., Wang, Y., Xue, W., & Huangfu, W. (2021). Evaluation of enterprise technology innovation capability in prefabricated construction in China. Construction Innovation, 22(4), 1059–1084. https://doi.org/10.1108/ci-12-2020-0196
Galaso, P., & Kovarik, J. (2021). Collaboration networks, geography and innovation: Local and national embeddedness. Papers in Regional Science, 100(2), 349–378. https://doi.org/10.1111/pirs.12578
Graf, H. (2011). Gatekeepers in regional networks of innovators. Cambridge Journal of Economics, 35(1), 173–198. https://doi.org/10.1093/cje/beq001
Hwang, I. (2023). Evolution of the collaborative innovation network in the Korean ICT industry: A patent-based analysis. Technology Analysis & Strategic Management, 35(2), 221–236. https://doi.org/10.1080/09537325.2021.1971191
Han, Y., Li, Y., Taylor, J. E., & Zhong, J. (2018). Characteristics and evolution of innovative collaboration networks in architecture, engineering, and construction: Study of national prize-winning projects in China. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 144(6), Article 04018038. https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)co.1943-7862.0001499
Hu, F., Mou, S., Wei, S., Qiu, L., Hu, H., & Zhou, H. (2024a). Research on the evolution of China’s photovoltaic technology innovation network from the perspective of patents. Energy Strategy Reviews, 51, Article 101309. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esr.2024.101309
Hu, F., Qiu, L., Wei, S., Zhou, H., Bathuure, I. A., & Hu, H. (2024b). The spatiotemporal evolution of global innovation networks and the changing position of China: a social network analysis based on cooperative patents. R&D Management, 54(3), 574–589. https://doi.org/10.1111/radm.12662
König, M. D., Battiston, S., Napoletano, M., & Schweitzer, F. (2011). Recombinant knowledge and the evolution of innovation networks. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 79(3), 145–164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2011.01.007
Li, T., & Zhou, X. (2022). Research on the mechanism of government-industry-university-institute collaborative innovation in green technology based on game-based cellular automata. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(5), Article 3046. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19053046
Li, F., Liu, W., & Bi, K. (2021). Exploring and visualizing spatial-temporal evolution of patent collaboration networks: A case of China’s intelligent manufacturing equipment industry. Technology in Society, 64, Article 101483. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2020.101483
Liu, W., Song, Y., & Bi, K. (2021a). Exploring the patent collaboration network of China’s wind energy industry: A study based on patent data from CNIPA. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, 144, Article 110989. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2021.110989
Liu, L., Zhao, M., Fu, L., & Cao, J. (2021b). Unraveling local relationship patterns in project networks: A network motif approach. International Journal of Project Management, 39(5), 437–448. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2021.02.004
Liu, W., Tao, Y., & Bi, K. (2023). Exploring temporal and spatial evolution of the patent collaboration network: A case study of smart grid field in China. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 70(4), 1605–1620. https://doi.org/10.1109/TEM.2020.2974797
Liu, W., Guo, Y., & Bi, K. (2024). Exploring collaborative innovation evolution of China’s energy conservation and environmental protection industry: A social network analysis based on patents. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 39(5), 1008–1028. https://doi.org/10.1108/jbim-04-2022-0177
Lu, Y., Liu, B., & Li, Y. (2021). Collaboration networks and bidding competitiveness in megaprojects. Journal of Management in Engineering, 37(6), Article 04021064. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000961
Mao, G., & Zhang, N. (2017). Fast approximation of average shortest path length of directed BA networks. Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 466, 243–248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physa.2016.09.025
Milazzo, M., Musciotto, F., Micciche, S., & Mantegna, R. N. (2022). Analysis of the structure and dynamics of European flight networks. Entropy, 24(2), Article 248. https://doi.org/10.3390/e24020248
Milo, R., Shen-Orr, S., Itzkovitz, S., Kashtan, N., Chklovskii, D., & Alon, U. (2002). Network motifs: Simple building blocks of complex networks. Science, 298, 824–827. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.298.5594.824
Milo, R., Itzkovitz, S., Kashtan, N., Levitt, R., Shen-Orr, S., Ayzenshtat, I., Sheffer, M., & Alon, U. (2004). Superfamilies of evolved and designed networks. Science, 303, 1538–1542. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1089167
Neal, Z. (2018). Is the urban world small? The evidence for small world structure in urban networks. Networks & Spatial Economics, 18(3), 615–631. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11067-018-9417-y
Newman, M. E. J. (2006). Modularity and community structure in networks. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 103(23), 8577–8582. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0601602103
Park, S., & Zhong, R. (2022). Pattern recognition of travel mobility in a city destination: Application of network motif analytics. Journal of Travel Research, 61(5), 1201–1216. https://doi.org/10.1177/00472875211024739
Pu, Y., Li, Y., & Wang, Y. (2021). Structure characteristics and influencing factors of cross-border electricity trade: A complex network perspective. Sustainability, 13(11), Article 5797. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13115797
Pu, G., Zhu, X., Dai, J., & Chen, X. (2022). Understand technological innovation investment performance: Evolution of industry-university-research cooperation for technological innovation of lithium-ion storage battery in China. Journal of Energy Storage, 46, Article 103607. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.est.2021.103607
Qiang, G., Cao, D., Wu, G., Zhao, X., & Zuo, J. (2021). Dynamics of collaborative networks for green building projects: Case study of Shanghai. Journal of Management in Engineering, 37(3), Article 05021001. https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)me.1943-5479.0000892
Roberts, E. B. (2007). Managing invention and innovation. Research-Technology Management, 50(1), 35–54. https://doi.org/10.1080/08956308.2007.11657418
Shen, W., & Xue, J. (2023). Managing project-to-project interfaces for large-scale programmes: A network study in World expo 2020. International Journal of Project Management, 41(2), Article 102438. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2023.102438
Shen, G., Zhu, D., Chen, J., & Kong, X. (2022). Motif discovery based traffic pattern mining in attributed road networks. Knowledge-Based Systems, 250, Article 109035. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.knosys.2022.109035
Steinhaeuser, K., & Chawla, N. V. (2010). Identifying and evaluating community structure in complex networks. Pattern Recognition Letters, 31(5), 413–421. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.patrec.2009.11.001
Stone, L., Simberloff, D., & Artzy-Randrup, Y. (2019). Network motifs and their origins. Plos Computational Biology, 15(4), Article e1006749. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006749
Tavella, J., Windsor, F. M., Rother, D. C., Evans, D. M., Guimaraes, P. R. Jr., Palacios, T. P., Lois, M., & Devoto, M. (2022). Using motifs in ecological networks to identify the role of plants in crop margins for multiple agriculture functions. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment, 331, Article 107912. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2022.107912
Tomasello, M. V., Napoletano, M., Garas, A., & Schweitzer, F. (2017). The rise and fall of R&D networks. Industrial and Corporate Change, 26(4), 617–646. https://doi.org/10.1093/icc/dtw041
Van Wyk, L., Kajimo-Shakantu, K., & Opawole, A. (2024). Adoption of innovative technologies in the South African construction industry. International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation, 42(3), 410–429. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijbpa-06-2021-0090
Wang, X., & Chen, G. (2003). Complex networks: Small-world, scale-free and beyond. IEEE Circuits and Systems Magazine, 3(1), 6–20. https://doi.org/10.1109/MCAS.2003.1228503
Wang, Y., Thangasamy, V. K., Hou, Z., Tiong, R. L. K., & Zhang, L. (2020). Collaborative relationship discovery in BIM project delivery: A social network analysis approach. Automation in Construction, 114, Article 103147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2020.103147
Wang, Z., Wang, K., Wang, Y., & Wen, Z. (2022). A data management model for intelligent water project construction based on blockchain. Wireless Communications & Mobile Computing, 2022, Article 8482415. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/8482415
Wang, W., Jian, L., Lei, Y., Liu, J., & Wang, W. (2023a). Measurement and prediction of the relationships among the patent cooperation network, knowledge network and transfer network of the energy storage industry in China. Journal of Energy Storage, 67, Article 107467. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.est.2023.107467
Wang, F., Cheng, M., & Cheng, X. (2023b). Exploring the project-based collaborative networks between owners and contractors in the construction industry: Empirical study in China. Buildings, 13(3), Article 732. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13030732
Wang, B., Chen, H., Ao, Y., & Liao, F. (2023c). Spatiotemporal differentiation and influencing factors of green technology innovation efficiency in the construction industry: A case study of Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomeration. Buildings, 13(1), Article 73. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13010073
Watts, D. J., & Strogatz, S. H. (1998). Collective dynamics of ‘small-world’ networks. Nature, 393, 440–442. https://doi.org/10.1038/30918
Yu, L. (2023). Project engineering management evaluation based on GABP neural network and artificial intelligence. Soft Computing, 27(10), 6877–6889. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00500-023-08133-9
Yu, X., Cui, Y., Chen, Y., Chang, I., & Wu, J. (2022). The drivers of collaborative innovation of the comprehensive utilization technologies of coal fly ash in China: A network analysis. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 29(37), 56291–56308. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19816-5
Yu, P., Cai, Z., Jiang, F., & Sun, Y. (2023). Evaluation and analysis of leading position in hydrogen fuel cell vehicle innovation network and the influential factors: a case of patent citations in China. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 30(18), 53339–53354. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-25969-8
Zhang, S., & Wang, X. (2022). Does innovative city construction improve the industry-university-research knowledge flow in urban China?. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 174, Article 121200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.121200
Zhao, S., & Li, J. (2022). Impact of innovation network on regional innovation performance: Do network density, network openness and network strength have any influence?. Journal of Science and Technology Policy Management, 14(5), 982–999. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSTPM-05-2022-0084
Zhao, X., & Cheah, C. C. (2023). BIM-based indoor mobile robot initialization for construction automation using object detection. Automation in Construction, 146, Article 104647. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2022.104647