Investing in Localized Relationships with Universities: What are the Benefits for RD Subsidiaries of Multinational Enterprises?
Journal article, 2009
In spite of a long-standing interest in the distribution of knowledge spillovers from university research, there is only limited theoretical understanding of if and when opportunities to interact with a research university constitute a significant force of attraction for globally mobile investment in RD. Based on an empirical investigation of the benefits of interaction with universities, this paper proposes an analytical framework and four ideal types of strategy for localised collaboration between RD subsidiaries and universities. This taxonomy, which largely transcends industry sectors, and the illustrative cases presented in this paper provide insights into the potential scope for localised university-industry interaction from the perspective of multinational enterprises. By connecting the empirical results to the question whether these benefits are significant enough to enhance a region's attractiveness as a location for RD, we are able to develop a better understanding of the alternative strategies for policymakers and university leaders interested in stimulating such linkages.
foreign subsidiaries
academic research
localisation of RD
knowledge spillovers
multinational enterprises
internationalization
Knowledge spillovers
interaction
location
corporations
university-industry
management
strategies
research-and-development
industrial-innovation
Author
A. Brostrom
Royal Institute of Technology (KTH)
Tomas McKelvey
University of Gothenburg
Christian Sandström
Chalmers, Technology Management and Economics, Innovation and R&D Management
Industry and Innovation
1366-2716 (ISSN) 1469-8390 (eISSN)
Vol. 16 1 59-78Subject Categories
Other Mechanical Engineering
DOI
10.1080/13662710902728076