Drivers and impacts in the globalization of corporate R&D: an introduction based on the European experience

1. Pietro Moncada-Paternò-Castello*^‡,
2. Marco Vivarelli** and
3. Peter Voigt^†

+ Author Affiliations

1. *Pietro Moncada-Paternò-Castello, European Commission, Joint Research Center, Institute for Prospective Technological Studies, Edf. Expo/WTC, C/ Inca Garcilaso No. 3 - 41092 Seville, Spain. e-mail: pietro.moncada-paterno-castello@ec.europa.eu
2. **Marco Vivarelli, Facoltà di Economia, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Via Emilia Parmense 84, I 29122, Piacenza, Italy; SPRU, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK; IZA, Bonn, Germany. e-mail: marco.vivarelli@unicatt.it
3. ^†Peter Voigt, European Commission, Joint Research Center, Institute for Prospective Technological Studies Edf. Expo/WTC, C/Inca Garcilaso No. 3 - 41092 Seville, Spain. e-mail: peter.voigt@ec.europa.eu

1. ↵^‡Main author for correspondence.

Abstract

The globalization of R&D activities has continued its growth path as companies are increasingly trying to capture knowledge and market opportunities internationally. The rapid evolution of national economies and the ways to conduct knowledge-intensive businesses has led researchers and analysts to pursue a deeper understanding of the globalization of corporate R&D and the related driving factors and impacts. This introductory chapter provides an update of trends in the globalization of corporate R&D. It reviews the literature on the main drivers and impacts of the process under investigation, introduces the papers for this special section, and offers some concluding remarks.

JEL codes

• F21
• F23
• L16
• D21
• O32

Drivers and impacts in the globalization of corporate R&D: an introduction based on the European experience