Abstract: With intensifying global technological competition and the emergence of a new wave of industrial revolution, breakthrough innovation has become a critical engine driving national development. Understanding the mechanisms behind breakthrough innovation is therefore an urgent research priority. Innovation entails novel combinations of production factors, and the introduction of new elements such as knowledge and data has enriched this notion of "new combinations." As a core production factor, scientific knowledge plays a pivotal role in breakthrough innovation. Investigating its connection to innovation value carries significant theoretical and policy implications. Drawing on knowledge recombination theory and using a Tobit model, this study analyzes biotechnology patents granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) from 2010 to 2021, along with the scientific literature cited therein, to explore the influence of heterogeneous knowledge sources on the value of breakthrough innovation. The main findings are as follows: (1) From the perspective of organizational boundaries, the paper distinguishes the effects of internal and external sources of scientific knowledge. Internal scientific knowledge positively contributes to the value of breakthrough innovation. External scientific knowledge exhibits a U-shaped relationship with innovation value—while diversity in external sources can be beneficial, it also increases integration complexity, necessitating strong absorptive and transformative capacities within the organization. Once an organization’s internal knowledge accumulation surpasses a certain threshold, it is more capable of capitalizing on open innovation, thereby enhancing the value of its breakthrough innovations. This mechanism helps explain why knowledge-intensive organizations often emerge as leaders in open innovation. (2) From the structural perspective of knowledge sources, the study finds that the layered structure of knowledge within university-industry-government collaborations—ranging from basic research to applied development—is conducive to generating breakthrough innovations. This provides micro-level support for the "Triple Helix" model of innovation. (3) From the perspective of knowledge characteristics, the study reveals differentiated impacts of scientific and technological knowledge on innovation value. While greater cognitive distance in technological knowledge tends to enhance breakthrough innovation, an increase in cognitive distance in scientific knowledge may raise the risk and uncertainty of innovation. This diverges from prior literature that suggests broad search and distant recombination of technological knowledge enhance breakthrough innovation. By distinguishing between scientific and technological knowledge, the study deepens the theoretical framework of knowledge recombination. This research makes three primary contributions: (1) It refines the understanding of how internal versus external scientific knowledge affects breakthrough innovation, clarifying the distinct roles of internal innovation and inter-organizational collaboration; (2) it elucidates the role of scientific knowledge generated through university-industry-government collaborations, shedding light on the deeper value of such partnerships; (3) it reveals the differential mechanisms by which scientific versus technological knowledge contribute to innovation value, thereby enriching knowledge recombination theory. Based on the above discussion, this paper proposes the following two policy recommendations: First, innovation policies—especially in science-driven industries—should prioritize incentives for internal knowledge accumulation. Second, knowledge exchange and integration across academia, industry, and government should be strengthened by removing institutional barriers and encouraging deeper cross-domain knowledge construction in collaborative innovation.

摘要： 创新是生产要素的新组合，知识等新生产要素的提出，丰富了该“新组合”内涵。科学知识作为关键生产要素与创新价值的关联机制研究具有重要理论意义。本文通过分析2010至2021年间美国专利和商标局授予的生物技术专利数据及其引用的科学文献数据，发现：（1）组织内科学知识来源对突破性创新的价值具有正向作用，而组织外科学知识来源对突破性创新价值的影响呈现U型关系；（2）产学研合作形成的科学知识层次性结构，有利于提升突破性创新的价值；（3）科学知识与技术知识对突破性创新价值的影响存在差异化，科学知识的远距离组合可能会增加创新的风险和不确定性。通过对科学知识来源的细化研究，探讨不同科学知识来源对突破性创新价值的影响，丰富了知识重组理论；为创新政策提供了理论参考。