Digital Platform Capability, Policy Synergy, and Technology Transfer in China: A Structured Systematic Literature Review

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511400, China

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract

This review asks one focused question: how does digitalization improve technology transfer in China, and what role do platform capability and policy coordination play in that process? Following PRISMA 2020 reporting principles, the review uses a transparent search, screening, and coding procedure across Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus, CNKI, and official Chinese government sources. The final review corpus covers sixteen peer reviewed studies and three official policy or platform documents published between 2010 and 2025. The synthesis shows three consistent findings. First, the literature converges on two persistent bottlenecks in Chinese technology transfer: high search and matching costs, and fragmented institutional governance. Second, digitalization matters when it functions as a capability rather than a mere online interface, especially by expanding searchable resource pools, improving matching efficiency, and reorganizing service workflows. Third, policy synergy is not a background variable but a constitutive condition because platforms perform better when science and technology, fiscal, audit, and state asset rules point in the same direction. The review contributes a clear integrative framework in which digital platform capability supports technology transfer through information integration and institutional coordination, while coherent policy design determines whether those capabilities translate into actual commercialization.