Influence on R&D in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises by the Formation of the Network Capability in Academia and Industry Cooperation

Abstract

As a result of the government's promotion policy for industry-university cooperation, the number of the agreements of the joint research is increasing. However, the rate of the industry-university cooperation for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), that have poor management resources to carry out the development of new products, is still low compared to the large enterprises.

This study shows two findings on SMEs' business benefits throughout the industry-university cooperation; first, apart from transfering technologies from other institutions like universities, SMEs could get network capability skills between them and the other insitutions throughout the industry-university cooperation. Second, once SMEs could obtain the network capability skills, SMEs' business can be improved even though they do not achieve the creation of products. Therefore, we conclude that the industry-university cooperation is beneficial action for SMEs.