Assessing R&D efficiency using a two-stage dynamic DEA model: A case study of research institutes in the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

•This paper uses a novel data envelopment analysis (DEA) model with network structure considering the carry-over activities.•We integrate Input-Mediator-Output-Input (IMOI) model and DEA to explore the R&D performances of Chinese research institutes.•The results show that regional differences and resource scale play important roles in influencing the R&D efficiency.•This paper identifies how to improve R&D performance based on performance benchmarks.