Industrial Ecosystem and the Development of Strategic Emerging Industries

Based on the theories of business ecosystem and national innovation system,this paper proposes a concept of industrial ecosystem.Differ from ecologists and environmentalists who regard industrial ecosystem as the natural ecosystems in which material,energy and information circulates,this paper defines industrial ecosystem as a set of factors that are vital to the development of a certain industry and their interrelationship.The industrial ecosystem consists of three sub-systems that are innovation ecosystem,production ecosystem,and application ecosystem,and subsidiary factors that include factor supply,infrastructure,socio-cultural environment,international environment and policy system.The industrial ecosystem is characterized by interdependencies,complex interactions,self-recovery and co-evolution.The development of an industry is the result of the reaction of the whole industrial ecosystem;therefore,the competition in strategic emerging industries among countries is in essence the competition in industrial ecosystems.Those countries which are able to take the lead in setting up complete industrial ecosystem will occupy advantage in developing strategic emerging industries.Cultivating and developing strategic emerging industries requires promoting the development and coordination of the whole ecosystem.