A network approach to the structure and organization of joint R&D projects

Abstract

Joint R&D projects have long been studied as an important determinant of innovation success. Researchers have highlighted the benefits that such technological projects offer to partners and to their industries and countries. However, the multiple interactions involved in joint R&D projects in order to achieve the common objectives are not fully understood. Such complexity justifies the need to seek adequate methodologies for determining the project attributes that will lead to an explanation of how joint R&D projects operate. In this paper we introduce ideas about the structure and organization of joint R&D projects in order to explore how attributes and properties of networks influence the attainment of R&D project objectives. The Delphi approach allows a detailed look at the functioning of networks which are much more difficult to capture in traditional, linear analytical models. We tested the measures in the context of the European sponsored R&D projects developed within Framework Programmes.