Global R&D Alliances in China: Collaborations With Universities and Research Institutes

A learning perspective was applied to examining when multinational corporations select universities rather than local firms as partners in international R&D alliances. Data were collected on 327 international R&D alliances established over the 1995–2001 period in China, an emerging economy where intellectual property rights protection is still far from adequate, over the 1995–2001 period. The effects of factors such as the international investor’s host country R&D experience and the venture’s research objectives on the selection of universities or research institutes as local partners for R&D alliances were analyzed. Analysis using logistic regression models suggests that the contribution of local universities and research institutes to such R&D collaborations is likely to be high when foreign investors have had abundant prior R&D experience in the host country and when the alliance has been established primarily for research rather than development purposes. The implications for theory, practice, and policymaking are discussed.