Abstract: How to effectively protect leading technologies is a common problem faced by modern innovative enterprises. Based on the 2017 Chinese enterprise patent survey data, this study examines the impact of R&D investment and innovation outsourcing on enterprise technology protection strategies. This paper divides the technology protection strategy into three categories: technology leadership, complementary asset portfolio and intellectual property protection. This paper also divides R&D investment into R&D intensity and R&D cycle. According to R&D organization form, this paper distinguishes innovation integration and innovation outsourcing. This study reaches the following findings: (1) Enterprises with high R&D intensity tend to protect technology through technology leadership and intellectual property rights. Enterprises with long R&D cycles tend to protect technology through intellectual property rights, especially through patent applications; (2) Enterprises that realize innovation integration are more inclined to adopt combined strategies of technology leadership, complementary asset portfolio and intellectual property rights. Enterprises that implement innovation outsourcing are more inclined to adopt complementary asset portfolios strategy;. Further subdividing the degree of innovation outsourcing, this paper finds that as the degree of outsourcing increases, enterprises will reduce their use of technology leadership and intellectual property protection strategies, and increase their use of complementary asset portfolio strategies.

摘要： 如何有效保护领先技术是现代创新型企业所面临的共同问题。本文基于2017年中国企业专利调查数据考察了研发投入、创新外包对于企业技术保护策略的影响。本研究将技术保护策略区分为维持先发、互补性资产组合与知识产权保护三类,将研发投入分解为研发强度与研发周期,依研发组织形式区分创新一体化与创新外包,实证结果发现:（1）研发强度高的企业更倾向于通过维持先发及知识产权的方式来保护技术,研发周期长的企业倾向于通过知识产权尤其是申请专利的方式来保护技术;（2）实现创新一体化的企业更倾向于综合采用维持先发、互补性资产组合及知识产权三种保护策略,实施创新外包的企业更倾向于通过互补性资产组合的方式进行技术保护;进一步细分创新外包程度发现, 随着外包程度的增加，企业会减少对维持先发、知识产权保护策略的使用，增加对互补性资产组合保护策略的使用。