International R&D by Chinese companies

Most research on international R&D has focused on firms originating from advanced countries. Based on the analysis of 1269 R&D locations, a new research framework is proposed that accounts for the increasing share of international R&D in or by developing countries. Motivations, strategies, and barriers to R&D internationalization by technology-intensive Chinese firms are analyzed. Research suggests that two concepts of international R&D are pursued: "innovation capability enhancing" and "innovation capability exploiting", respectively, denoting super-imposed networks that allow the absorption and implementation of new technologies.