Promoting the integration of technological and industrial innovation is central to cultivating new quality productive forces (NQPF). This study evaluates integration efficiency across six cities in Hubei Province—Wuhan, Xiangyang, Yichang, Huangshi, Jingzhou, and Shiyan—using the DEA-BCC model. Overall efficiency is decomposed into pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency, and returns to scale are identified. Results reveal a clear gradient pattern. Wuhan shows the highest efficiency (0.95) with decreasing returns to scale, indicating a shift toward structural optimization. Xiangyang and Yichang exhibit medium efficiency (0.85 and 0.83) with increasing returns to scale, suggesting potential for both expansion and efficiency improvement. Huangshi, Jingzhou, and Shiyan show lower efficiency (0.66–0.71), reflecting limited absorptive capacity. Based on these differences, cities are classified into source-led, hub-linkage, and absorptive catching-up types, with corresponding development paths. The study contributes by linking the NQPF perspective with efficiency analysis and providing a typological framework for intra-provincial heterogeneity.

Rong Huang, Shuai Mao. Regional Typologies of Technological and Industrial Innovation Integration in Hubei Province: A DEA-BCC Analysis from the Perspective of New Quality Productive Forces. Academic Journal of Business & Management (2026), Vol. 8, Issue 5: 44-48. https://doi.org/10.25236/AJBM.2026.080506.

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