Drivers of the Offshore Outsourcing of R&D : Empirical Evidence from French Manufacturers

The pace of technological change and the challenges faced by companies to remain competitive in global markets have contributed to a global expansion of Ramp;D transactions. This paper shows that French companies engaged in the offshore outsourcing of Ramp;D are outward oriented essentially through exports. Further, single unit companies seem more active in this type of Ramp;D transaction than companies belonging to a group. These findings suggest a stronger integration of small and medium size exporting companies into international networks of innovation. Technological sourcing seems to be leading this phenomenon more than cost-opportunities motivations