Title: Patterns of local R&D cooperation of foreign subsidiaries in an intermediate country: innovative and structural factors

Authors: Antonio García-Sánchez; José Molero; Ruth Rama

Addresses: Universidad de Sevilla, Avenida Ramón y Cajal, 1, 41018 Sevilla, Spain ' Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Avenida Séneca, 2, 28040, Madrid, Spain ' IEGD-CSIC, Albasanz, 26-28, 28037 Madrid, Spain

Abstract: We attempt to contribute for a better understanding of cooperative innovation patterns of foreign subsidiaries (FS) in Spain as a representative intermediate country, going deeply into three main aspects: firstly, a sectoral taxonomy which combines international technological dynamism and revealed technological advantage as a way to understand such patterns. Secondly, we focus our attention on innovative intensive subsidiaries, assuming they are the most important ones for hosting countries. Thirdly, we combine innovation and structural-competitive variables to explain the local cooperation. We found more intense cooperation of FS with local agents in dynamic specialisation sectors, as well as the fact that this is mostly carried out in a complementary mode with inner knowledge capabilities of the companies. Cooperative activities are influenced by economic-structural factors of the Spanish economy, particularly in highly innovative companies. Cooperative strategies of domestic firms might also have an influence to those foreign subsidiaries.

Keywords: R&D cooperation; MNEs; intermediate countries; foreign subsidiaries.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTTC.2017.084634

International Journal of Technology Transfer and Commercialisation, 2017 Vol.15 No.1, pp.38 - 64

Accepted: 22 Dec 2016
Published online: 19 Jun 2017 *

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