This paper attempts to explore the role of innovation networks in the new energy vehicle industry from the perspective of evolution, by integrating of the overall network and the entities' microscopic features and designing relative variables. Based on market orientation theory social network analysis, the relationship between network location and technological niche and the role of the network relationship strength was examined through empirical data of China's 2009-2017 patents for new energy vehicles. The results show that: (1) There is an inverted U-shaped relationship between the central position and the technological niche "state" and "potential"; (2) There is an inverted U-shaped relationship between the brokerage position and the entities' technological niche "state", and the inverted U-shaped relationship with the technological niche "potential" is not significant;(3) The overall relationship strength of the network modulates the inverted U relationship between the central location and the technological niche. This paper opens up new ideas for the research of the role of innovation networks. The research conclusions have important implications for the management practice of new energy vehicle industries in China through collaborative networks to achieve technological innovation. entities in the market to broaden their own advantages [3]. It can be said that the close relationship between market orientation and multi-entity collaboration is the main driving factor for technological innovation [4]. Actually, entities have developed innovation networks comprising formal and informal links [5], and taken advantage of the network effect to lead and drive the sustainable development, transformation, and upgrading of the industry. China has formed a variety of innovation networks, such as the National New Energy Vehicle Technological Innovation Collaborating Center, the Intelligent New Energy Vehicle Collaborative Innovation Center, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei New Energy Vehicle, and the Intelligent Network Alliance Automotive Collaborative Innovation Alliance. Compared with the innovation networks of traditional industries, the new energy vehicle innovation networks realize the integration of economic network, social network and innovation network. These networks consist of diverse entities whose technical and economic relationships are closer and more complex [6], and the technology transfer within networks is more frequent and the models are flexible [7]. Meanwhile, they can form the basis of resource and knowledge interactions among multiple innovation entities with mutually beneficial effects for technological integration and optimization, thus accelerating the speed and efficiency of innovation for dealing with uncertainty and complexity [8].However, there are many problems in the development of many innovation networks, especially network failure caused by the lack of effective management. Therefore, regardless of the stage in which innovation networks are, it is important to manage them effectively, and t...

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