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Chinese Journal of Management Science ›› 2026, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (1): 104-117.doi: 10.16381/j.cnki.issn1003-207x.2024.0809

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A Review of Identification Methods for “Stuck Neck” Technology

Mengsi Cai, Xin Lv()   

  1. School of Systems Engineering,National University of Defense Technology,Changsha 410073,China
  • Received:2024-05-24 Revised:2024-09-23 Online:2026-01-25 Published:2026-01-29
  • Contact: Xin Lv E-mail:xin.lu.lab@outlook.com

Abstract:

Under the unprecedented great changes in the current world, technological competition is increasingly becoming the focus of major power games, thus it is urgent to break through the bottleneck of key core technologies in China. Scientifically and accurately identifying “stuck neck” problems can provide important basis for achieving breakthroughs in key core technology bottlenecks and independent controllability. Researchers have recently explored various ways of identifying “stuck neck” technologies, however, no extant research systematically summarized these efforts. To fill in this research gap, the literature on identification methods of “stuck neck” technology is reviewed, and the existing problems and future trends of “stuck neck” technology identification are summarized.

The relevant literatures published on the academic journal in the field of “stuck neck” technology connotation, characteristics, and identification methods are reviewed. First, it begins with clarifying the connotation of “stuck neck” technology by comparing it with key core technology, disruptive technology, breakthrough technology, and “trump card” technology. Then, a framework of “stuck neck” technology characteristics is proposed, which contains five essential attributes (i.e., key core technology attributes, strategic competitiveness, technical complexity, technological gap, and national security) and a series of extended attributes. According to the main methodology used in the literatures, it summarizes the “stuck neck” technology identification methods into five categories, including Delphi-based methods, indicator evaluation methods, bibliometric-based methods, network analysis methods, and machine learning methods. Finally, it concludes with identifying the research gaps in extant research and discussing some possible future directions.

To summarize, it is found that there is a lack of clear and unified understanding of the “stuck neck” technology and its core attributes, although the majority of scholars declare that the “stuck neck” technology belongs to the category of key core technology. In addition, the various evaluation indicators built by different researchers for identifying “stuck neck” technology show a certain degree of intersection or overlap, and no research has verified the effectiveness of these indicators in cross disciplinary “stuck neck” technology identification. It is also found that few studies have integrated data from invention patents, academic papers, research reports, news reports and other sources, and less empirical research has been conducted on identifying “stuck neck” technical points at the micro level. This review would support the early warning and precise identification of potential “stuck neck” technologies, providing reference and guidance for the deployment of national technology strategies and the original technological breakthroughs in key fields, thereby promoting high-quality economic development and safeguarding national security in China.

Key words: “stuck neck” technology, key core technology, technology identification, patent analysis, indicator system

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