The high-quality development of the marine economy is contingent upon the impetus of scientific and technological innovation, with R&D investments as its cornerstone. Faced with the increasing marine R&D investments, it is imperative to efficiently convert them into total factor productivity growth to propel the high-quality development of the marine economy. Based on the innovation value chain theory, the weak links in the innovation process that impede the transformation of R&D investments into total factor productivity growth within the marine economy are identified, and the underlying reasons are also traced. The findings indicate that the innovation motivation during the technology research and development phase and the selection of technology sources during the technology transformation phase are critical weak links affecting the effective conversion of R&D investments. Further analysis reveals that the efficacy of marine innovation policy implementation and the operation efficiency of the R&D capital factor market are contributors. These insights highlight the necessity of enhancing the efficiency of R&D investments allocation, which provides a new perspective for bridging the technological innovation chain in the marine economy to promote its high-quality development.
 

R&D investments,High-quality development,Marine economy,Innovation value chain