Technology sourcing: Are biotechnology firms different? An exploratory study of the Spanish case

In this paper, we study the pattern of technology sourcing, taking into account where firms source technology and through which channels. We specifically, inquire whether biotechnology firms are different from other firms in their technology sourcing behaviour. Our results show some significant differences in the patterns of technology sourcing. Biotechnology firms show a greater propensity for external technology sourcing, both with regard to the external purchasing of R&D services and with regard to cooperation for innovation. They also show a greater propensity to purchase foreign R&D, but they are not more likely to establish foreign cooperation for innovation once their firm-specific and industry characteristics, as well as sample selection bias, have been taken into account. However, biotechnology firms do show a more varied pattern of sourcing, in both the types of agents used and the geographic origin of the technology. Copyright The Author 2012. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com, Oxford University Press.