An Analysis of Interactive Activities of Foreign R&D Centers Operating in Korea

한국 진출 외국 R&D 센터의 상호작용 특성 분석

This paper analyzes interactive activities of foreign R&D centers operating in Korea. Interactive activities refer to collaborative R&D activities, R&D outsourcing, and formation of communities between foreign R&D centers and Korean firms and institutions. Active interactions between foreign R&D centers and their Korean partners (Korean firms and universities, research institutes etc.) are essential in promoting spillover effects from foreign R&D centers. Using the survey of 76 foreign R&D centers operating in Korea, this paper found the intensity of interplay between foreign R&D centers and the Korean firms and institutions was not so high. And the partners of foreign R&D centers with the mission of finding new technologies in Korea are mainly customers rather than universities and research institutes. This result is markedly different from previous studies focused on the cases of western countries, where the partners of foreign R&D centers that have the mission of finding new technologies were mainly local universities and research institutes.