A firm's decision to establish an R&D centre in a specific location creates externalities affecting other firms and, thus, a random distribution of location choices is unlikely. Expecting that the global distribution of R&D centres fulfils the criteria of a complex network, we apply social network analysis to study the locations of international R&D centres and the relationships between the countries owning and hosting them. We analyse the characteristics of the global R&D network and identify its core members. Further, we include network indices in an empirical analysis of the R&D internationalisation determinants. We find that a country's position in the network, which does not necessarily coincide with its geographical or cultural proximity to other countries, has a significant impact on the formation and intensity of R&D linkages between countries. We provide policy implications addressing the challenges emerging from the increasing internationalisation and network of R&D.

DE PRATO Giuditta;  NEPELSKI Daniel; 

2013-05-30

Luxembourg

JRC79478

978-92-79-29828-8,   

1831-9424,   

EUR 25964,    OP LF-NA-25964-EN-N,   

http://ipts.jrc.ec.europa.eu/publications/pub.cfm?id=6224,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC79478,   

10.2791/15651,