One or Two Poles of Attraction in the International Technological Cooperation Process?

Resumen

In recent years, international cooperation processes have become a key mechanism for companies to internationalise their innovative activities, particularly in the case of small businesses whose size reduces their possibilities of developing internationalisation strategies autonomously in the same way as larger companies. In Spain, the existence of two parallel programmes with similar structures oriented towards Europe (EUREKA) and Latin America (IBEROEKA) raises the question as to whether the fact that companies participate in only one (unipolar) or both (bipolar) of these programmes is the result of a selection process, which, in turn, results in the existence of different collectives with different efficiency parameters. The aim of this study is to provide a comparative analysis based on the final reports of Spanish companies that have participated in the EUREKA programme. Two groups of companies were compared: one comprising companies that have only had international experience in Europe (EUREKA); and another formed by companies that have also carried out IBEROEKA projects. The conclusions confirm that the behaviour of both groups of companies differs substantially and reveal the importance of geographical perspective in the analysis of international cooperation in technology. This disparate behaviour is a relevant aspect that must be taken into account when designing policies to promote international technological cooperation.

Keywords: technological cooperation, innovation, internationalisation, Eureka, Iberoeka.


¿Uno o Dos Polos de Atracción en el Proceso de Cooperación Tecnológica Internacional?

Resumen: La existencia en España de dos programas con estructura similar orientados hacia Europa (Eureka) y América Latina (Iberoeka) permite cuestionarse si el hecho de que las empresas par ticipen en uno de ellos (unipolares) o en ambos (bipolares) conlleva la existencia de colectivos dispares, con distintos parámetros de eficiencia. Este trabajo compara, a partir de los informes finales de las empresas participantes en Eureka, el colectivo de empresas españolas que sólo han participado en Eureka y el de aquellas que también han llevado a cabo proyectos Iberoeka. Las conclusiones obtenidas confirman que el comportamiento de ambos grupos difiere notablemente y destacan la importancia de la perspectiva geográfica en el análisis de la cooperación internacional en innovación. Este dispar comportamiento es un aspecto relevante que debe ser tenido en cuenta en el diseño de políticas de promoción de la cooperación tecnológica internacional.

Palabras clave: cooperación tecnológica, innovación, internacionalización, Eureka, Iberoeka.