On the morning of May 28, 2026, the 168th session of BNUBS· Expert Forum Lecture Series” was successfully convened in Conference Room 1722 of the Rear Main Building at Beijing Normal University Business School (BNUBS). This lecture featured Professor Li Jiatao , Wei Lun Professor of Business, HKUST Business School, who delivered a keynote presentation entitled Concentration in Cross-Border Research Collaborations and MNCs’ Knowledge Creation in a Host Country. The event was presided over by Professor Zhou Jianghua, Associate Dean of BNUBS, and attracted more than thirty faculty members and students from the School.

At the outset of the session, Professor Zhou Jianghua elaborated on Professor Li Jiatao’s outstanding academic achievements and profound scholarly influence, and extended a warm welcome to him on behalf of the School. Professor Li currently serves as Wei Lun Professor of Business and Chair Professor of Management at HKUST Business School, as well as Director of the Center for Business Strategy and Innovation at HKUST. He is a recipient of the Yangtze River Scholar Distinguished Visiting Professor honor. His long-standing research endeavors cover international business strategy, organizational learning, strategic alliances, corporate governance, innovation and entrepreneurship. His prolific research findings have been widely published in premier international journals including the Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, and Organization Science, establishing his prominent academic prestige worldwide.

During the lecture, Professor Li conducted an in-depth discussion on the nexus between the concentration of multinational corporations’ (MNCs’) cross-border research collaborations and their knowledge creation performance in host countries. He pointed out that shifting international dynamics and escalating geopolitical risks have restructured the global R&D and supply chain layouts of multinational enterprises. In this context, firms are required to prioritize not only the scale of cross-border collaborations but also the structural arrangement of such partnerships. His research team focused on whether MNCs’ cross-border collaborative invention activities in host countries are concentrated among a small group of core inventors, and further explored how such concentration patterns shape local knowledge creation. The study revealed that excessive concentration in cross-border collaborations triggers information overload during the knowledge absorption stage and leads to prolonged transmission pathways as well as knowledge hoarding in the local diffusion process, thereby inhibiting indigenous knowledge creation. Further empirical evidence suggested that structural holes within multinational networks amplify such negative impacts, whereas high accessibility and density of local inventor networks in host countries effectively mitigate these inhibitory effects. These findings offer innovative theoretical perspectives and empirical evidence for the governance of MNCs’ cross-border R&D collaborations and the underlying mechanisms of global knowledge creation.

Professor Li’s insightful research sparked extensive academic interest among the audience. During the interactive Q&A session, faculty and students actively raised questions regarding the structural characteristics of MNC collaborative networks, the dynamic mechanisms of knowledge creation, and relevant empirical strategies. Professor Li provided thorough and meticulous responses to each inquiry, fostering a vibrant and in-depth academic dialogue throughout the venue. In his concluding remarks, Associate Dean Zhou Jianghua commented that the lecture closely corresponded to the frontiers of international business and cross-border innovation management. Integrating profound theoretical depth with practical managerial implications, the session offered valuable methodological references and inspirational insights for BNUBS faculty and students engaged in research on corporate strategy against the backdrop of globalization.

The 168th Expert Forum Lecture Series concluded successfully amid warm applause. The event further enriched the School’s academic ecosystem, enabling faculty and students to broaden their international academic horizons, deepen their understanding of frontier research, and enhance their overall scholarly capabilities.

Contributed by Academic Practice Department of the Graduate Student Union

Edited by Sun Yue

Reviewed by Hu Conghui