Typology of partnerships in the European research and innovation system
Seven different types of partnership between organisations participating in EU-supported research and innovation activities are identified in a recently published study. This report has been published by the European Commission, DG XII, and is the result of interviews conducted with public administrations and industrialists, in relation to projects completed in 1994, supported during the Second and Third RTD Framework Programmes. The aim of the study was to assess the efficiency of various types of partnerships and their contribution to industrial competitiveness, with a view to defining competitive partnerships of European interest. The typology developed will form a basis for the rational choice and design of policy instruments and programmes to support industrial competitiveness in Europe. The different types of partnerships identified in the study are differentiated through factors such as innovation generation, clusters and corporate governance structures. Key features such as contexts, strategies, implementation procedures and policy environments are all described in the report. It looks at current trends in partnerships and related public policies, and at the added value of the latter. A number of findings emerge from the study, not least that most partnerships follow the participants' market strategy closely and are aimed at increasing their competitiveness. The more integrated a partnership, the more relevant it is for most actors and strategies, and the more policy tools with an incentive, rather than purely financial, nature can be used. Partnerships are seen as an efficient tool to balance collective and proprietary knowledge, and therefore, policy-makers could look at them as an objective to strive for. The typology developed in the study could be used to help tailor policy instruments to meet these objectives.