Abstract: As one of the most important means to enhance enterprise competitiveness, Non-R&D (research and development) innovation is crucial for economic development, but it is rarely concerned in present studies. Based on the regional data from 2006 to 2015 in China, this paper studies its impact on regional productivity by applying the spatial panel econometric model, and the results show that different types of non-R&D innovation play different roles in regional productivity. Technological upgrading and absorptive capacities are proved to be more crucial for improving regional productivity than R&D innovation. Foreign technology import also plays a positive role, though with insignificant effect, while domestic technology import is irrelevant with the changing regional productivity. According to the results of the intersection of R&D and non-R&D innovation, the R&D input accelerates the productivity growth in the eastern and central regions, but decelerates in the western region. In addition, R&D investment has strengthened the productivity growth by means of technology introduction in the eastern region, but this introduction faces crowding-out in the western region, which hinders productivity improvement. R&D investments in these three regions have all enhanced the positive influence of technology absorption on regional productivity. Therefore, the government should attach importance to non-R&D innovation, monitor the scope, support it, and stress on the functions of technological transformation and absorption. At the same time, it also should take different measures on the R&D and non-R&D innovation investments in different regions in avoid of the one-size-fits-all approach.

Key words: non-R&, D innovation, regional productivity, spatial econometric model