This course is to help students develop a systematic and fundamental understanding of innovation system, its key players and their dynamics. Instead of discussing a few spectacular companies (e.g. Telsa) or technologies (e.g. rDNA), this course will deepen the students' view from singular phenomena to general principles that stand up to rigorous tests. Students will therefore go beyond observational experiences and anecdotal cases. Instead, they will develop a systematic and comprehensive understanding toward the fundamental mechanisms of innovation system and how players interact. The learning involves not only discussion of key scholarly work but also introduction of key metrics and methods to examine fundamental innovation-related questions. The topics include economics of innovation, knowledge spillovers and patent analytics. This course is particularly valuable for those who desire to work as professional analysts or researchers. It is also complementary to those courses on a case discussion or experiential learning basis.