The larger scientific and technological human scale, the better innovation effect? Evidence from key universities in China

Does the growth of S&T human scale has demographic dividends analogous to that of economic growth? Inspired by the resource-based theory and able to use the panel data of Chinese key universities, we find that relying solely on the number of S&T personnel may not significantly boost the innovation effect in scientific research. Even though more S&T personnel can greatly raise the number of scientific research achievements (SRA), it’s more deeply relying on the increment of S&T service personnel rather than R&D personnel. Meanwhile, more S&T personnel and R&D personnel cannot enhance the quality of SRA, and basic research intensity does not play a mediating role between them. Moreover, no matter what type of S&T human scale cannot improve economic performance, and also, basic research intensity does not play a mediating role between them. The growing S&T human scale can heighten the social performance, while the increasing number of neither R&D personnel nor S&T service personnel in a single dimension will make social performance better, and basic research intensity does not play a mediating role between them as well. Finally, there’s significant heterogeneity on the relationship among diverse types, titles and positions of S&T personnel with different levels and types of performance.