Research partners

The most important determinants of the probability that two firms will engage in a research partnership are the relationship between them, including resource and market interdependencies and network interactions, and the characteristics of each firm. Firms are more likely to collaborate the closer they are in terms of both technological and market profiles, the higher the expected knowledge spillovers among them, the more familiar they are with each other through past interaction, and the more centrally located they are in knowledge networks. The non-linear effect of technological overlap on the chances to collaborate suggests a balance between cost considerations and learning opportunities.