| 23/10/2008 |
"OI in Global Networks"Cervantes & De BackerAs global competition intensifies and innovation becomes riskier and more costly, the business sector has been internationalising knowledge-intensive corporate functions, including R&D. At the same time, companies are increasingly opening their innovation processes and collaborating on innovation with external partners (suppliers, customers, universities, etc.). What drives these global innovation networks across different industries? How are they related to companies' overall strategies? Are they accessible for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)? Such global networks clearly have important implications for policy making, given the important role of innovation in OECD countries’ economic growth. This publication presents the findings of a recent OECD project on globalisation and open innovation, expanding upon work carried out by the OECD following a March 2005 OECD forum on the internationalisation of R&D. It also builds on information in a chapter of the OECD Science, Technology and Industry Outlook 2006 on the internationalisation of R&D, as well as a volume entitled The Internationalisation of Business R&D: Evidence, Impacts and Implications, published by the OECD in June 2008. Presentations and discussions at a symposium on open innovation in global networks (Copenhagen, February 2008) were another source of important input to this publication. The report also draws heavily on a large number of company case studies in various countries that were undertaken by national experts. |