As the interaction between science and technology intensifies, the role of science in driving technological innovation has become increasingly significant. Enterprises, as key actors in market competition and innovation, can gain a substantial competitive advantage and contribute to industrial transformation by engaging in basic research. This study focuses on science-based enterprises, defining enterprises’ scientific capabilities in two dimensions: internal scientific capabilities and external scientific capabilities. Through a combination of empirical and simulation research, this study examines the mechanisms by which scientific capabilities influence innovation performance. The results demonstrate that internal scientific capabilities significantly enhance enterprise innovation, underlining the importance of engaging in basic research to foster scientific innovation performance. External scientific capabilities, particularly in terms of quantity, also contribute positively to innovation performance, emphasizing the value of industry-university-research collaborations and the effective absorption of scientific knowledge. Furthermore, scientific innovation intensity mediates the relationship between scientific capabilities and innovation performance, with science-based innovation acting as a bridge between scientific discoveries and technological advancement. While scientific research funding moderates the impact of internal scientific capabilities on innovation performance, it shows no significant moderating effect on external scientific capabilities. Based on these findings, the study proposes four pathways for enterprises to enhance innovation performance: independent innovation, collaborative R&D, scientific knowledge absorption, and technical iteration. This research advances both enterprise capability theory and technological innovation theory by addressing the gap in understanding how enterprises’ scientific capabilities influence innovation and providing actionable insights for the development of science-based enterprises.

Although quasi-internal resources—such as strategic alliances, long-term partnerships, and collaborative networks—typically enhance a firm’s adaptability, their effectiveness can be compromised in crisis situations due to supply chain disruptions, strained partnerships, and volatile market conditions. This research explores how quasi-internal resources influence firm performance through the trade-off between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and business innovation, with a particular focus on the moderating role of market environmental uncertainty. We developed a theoretical model grounded in resource dependence theory and tested our hypotheses using PLS-SEM analysis on data from 397 valid questionnaires collected from various companies. The findings reveal that quasi-internal resources do not directly enhance firm performance during large-scale emergencies. However, they play a critical role in strengthening the trade-off between CSR and business innovation, particularly through strategic adjustments and decision-making processes, which mediate their impact on performance. Conversely, the trade-off in incentive mechanisms does not significantly mediate this relationship. Additionally, market environmental uncertainty positively moderates the relationship between quasi-internal resources and the trade-offs in incentive mechanisms and decision-making processes, but it does not significantly affect strategic adjustments. These insights underscore the importance of strategic resource management in sustaining firm performance amidst uncertainty.