Key core technologies represent a significant issue concerning national security and economic and social development. International talents create conditions for China to integrate into international innovation networks and leverage domestic innovation networks. However, existing literature has not paid sufficient attention to the issue of breakthroughs in key core technologies, nor has it explained the mechanisms through which international talents exert a technological innovation effect from the perspective of innovation networks.

Using the data of China’s A-share listed companies and provincial international talents, this paper explores the impacts of international talents on Chinese firms’ catch-up in key core technologies from the perspective of innovation networks. The results show that international talents help local firms accelerate their technological catch-up and leadership in key core technologies. Mechanism testing reveals that this effect stems from international talents enabling local firms to fully leverage domestic commercial and research-oriented innovation network resources. However, international talents fail to stimulate the potential role of international innovation networks in key core technologies of Chinese firms. Further study shows that international talents help local firms build new advantages in key core technologies. Additionally, increasing the recruitment of technical and research-oriented international talents, guiding international talents to cluster in high-tech industries, and enhancing the relevance of firms’ technological portfolios will help international talents better exert their catch-up effect in key core technologies.

The marginal contributions of this paper are as follows: First, it tries to construct quantitative indicators for “catch-up” and “leadership” innovation in key core technologies at the firm level, providing an indicator basis for quantitative analysis of innovation in key core technologies. Second, it demonstrates the internal logic of international talents driving Chinese firms to catch up in key core technologies from a new perspective of innovation networks, and distinguishes the different roles of domestic versus international innovation networks and domestic commercial versus research-oriented innovation networks. Third, it delves into the role of international talents in key core technology advantages, and proposes strategies to fully stimulate the innovative effect of international talents from the dimensions of international talent characteristics and firm technological characteristics.