Title: R&D cooperative agreements between firms and research organisations: a comparative analysis of the characteristics and reasons depending on the nature of the partner

Authors: Angeles Montoro-Sanchez, Eva Ma Mora-Valentin, Luis Angel Guerras-Martin

Addresses: Departamento de Organizacion de Empresas, Facultad de Ciencias Economicas y Empresariales, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Pozuelo de Alarcon, 28223 Madrid, Spain. ' Departamento de Economia de la Empresa (Administracion, Direccion y Organizacion), Facultad de C.C. Juridicas y Sociales, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Paseo de los Artilleros, s/n, 28032 Madrid, Spain. ' Departamento de Economia de la Empresa (Administracion, Direccion y Organizacion), Facultad de C.C. Juridicas y Sociales, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Paseo de los Artilleros, s/n, 28032 Madrid, Spain

Abstract: This paper is intended to present a descriptive analysis of a representative set of Spanish cooperative agreements in R&D activities between firms and Research Organisations (RO), including universities, public research centres and private institutes or associations. For this purpose, we have examined 800 collaborations (1995–2000) boosted by the public agency, Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI). Firstly, the main characteristics of the project have been studied such as investment, public subsidies, kind and number of partners and duration. Secondly, the various partners have been inquired about the reasons that have led them to cooperate in R&D. Finally, the results have been analysed from a global point of view and classified according to the nature of the partner with the aim of adopting a comparative perspective of the data. The results show that cooperation between firms and RO still is not the general pattern of behaviour in Spain for technological activities.

Keywords: Spain; cooperative agreements; R&D cooperation; research and development; research organisations; collaboration; partnerships; partner characteristics; technological activities; technological innovation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.2006.009233

International Journal of Technology Management, 2006 Vol.35 No.1/2/3/4, pp.156 - 181

Published online: 13 Mar 2006 *

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