Linking collaborative R&D strategies with the research and innovation performance of SMEs in peripheral regions: Do spatial and organizational choices make a difference?

A Systematic Review of the Literature on Open Innovation in SMEs

“…Several studies, in various geographical settings and network settings featuring different types of OI partners, have pointed out that it is crucial for SMEs to ensure valuable network positions among their OI partners and to build up skills with respect to the effective orchestration of OI partners and relations (Bjerke and Johansson, 2015;Brunswicker and Vanhaverbeke, 2014;Cosh and Hughes, 2010;Dukic et al, 2015;Egbetokun, 2015;Fontana et al, 2006;Heger and Boman, 2015;Ketchen et al, 2007;Lambrechts et al, 2017;Lee et al, 2010;Leyden and Link, 2013;Pullen et al, 2012;Mitze et al, 2015;Roper and Hewitt-Dundas, 2013;Spriggs et al, 2013;Suh and Kim, 2012;Thorgren et al, 2012;Tranekjer and Knudsen, 2012;Tranekjer and Sondergaard, 2013;Trippl, 2011;van Hemert et al, 2013;Xie et al, 2013). Mitze et al (2015), in their sample of German SMEs, for example, show that SMEs that have secured a favorable position among their OI partners (in this case, educational research institutes) outperform their counterparts in less valuable spots. Indeed, social network analysis has for long evidenced the benefits of occupying central network positions where the focal firm is at the crossroad of knowledge and information flows and can thus optimally access the network's common knowledge base (Heger and Boman, 2015).…”

SMEs’ External Technology R&D Cooperation Network Diversity and Their Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction and Energy Saving: A Moderated Mediation Analysis

“…In line with this, open innovation points out that external technology R&D cooperation with various partners is an effective way of overcoming SMEs' limitations in their internal technology R&D resources and capabilities [6]. It is useful for increasing SMEs' innovation performance to make external technology R&D cooperation with various external knowledge sources [25]. This leads to the following Hypothesis 1: Hypothesis 1: SMEs' ETRDCND positively influences their GHG emission reduction and energy saving.…”

“…Product, service, or business model innovation mitigating or solving social or environmental issues [25] It is effective in making above average innovation performance for SMEs to implement R&D cooperation with research institutes, universities, and private businesses at the same time.…”

Technological cooperation network in biotechnology

“…In a recent study, Su (2017) drew on the phenomenon of economic globalization to investigate the interdependency between R&D global partners, pointing to the relevance of international partnerships, which would increase the creation and flow of knowledge, along with the expansion of potential applications of the developed technologies. Mitze et al (2015) conducted a survey in Germany to measure R&D performance in small and medium companies; they concluded that the most important R&D performance indicators are higher in organizations that make collaborative efforts, in comparison to those that do not conduct them. Spanos et al (2015) also used surveys to investigate the impact of R&D partnerships funded by governments on the innovation of products and processes, as well as on the inimitability of technologies; they concluded that companies that cooperate show a better performance.…”

“…Regardless of the advantages that literature associates with collaborations, one of the major challenges is the correct identification and selection of partners (Geum et al, 2013), and there is evidence that partnerships between private companies and universities have the INMR 15,4 highest potential to achieve good results (Mitze et al, 2015). As for the information used in studies of collaborative networks, bibliographic data (Geum et al, 2013) and patent data (Crespo et al, 2015;Mitze et al, 2015;Su, 2017) prevail.…”