Abstract: In the digital era, the data-intensive science has become a key force driving the frontier technological innovation and it requires local enterprises to have new abilities in carrying out science-based innovation. Taking 37 local enterprises as research samples, this study applies the multiple case study method combining grounded analysis and qualitative comparative analysis (QCA), to explore the structure of the science-based innovation capability system, and how to build up the capability system in the digital era in differentiated paths. The findings show that:(1) the data-intensive scientific ability, data engineering ability, and the interactive ability between science and society compose the science-based innovation capability system in the digital era; the adequate data resources, complete data infrastructures and advanced data underlying technologies provide resource conditions for the capability system construction; (2) the different types of local enterprises build up their science-based innovation capability system by different paths. The science enterprises usually follow the data intensive science-driven path in sequence of "Science-Engineering-Society". The internet platform enterprises often adopt the data engineering-driven path in sequence of "Engineering-Science-Society". The integrated enterprises of research, production, and sales normally follow the social application-driven path in sequence of "Society-Science-Engineering". This study reveals the interactive relationship among the science, technology, engineering, and application in the science-based innovation area, and provides theoretical references and management enlightenment for local enterprises to obtain the innovation opportunities brought by the data-intensive scientific research paradigm, and to carry out frontier technological innovation in the digital era.

Key words: digital era, the science-based innovation, data-intensive science, case study