International U-I collaboration: A bridge across open innovation, R&D globalization and national innovation system

With the economics and society globalization, international university-industry collaboration (which happens cross boundaries) is emerging, which is distinguish from the university network and from the usual university-industry collaboration in one country. Integrating open innovation, R&D globalization, national innovation system, and university-industry knowledge transfer, the study examines the issues and functions of international university-industry collaboration. The Philips´ Brainbridge program and ISAW international cooperation are used as cases to explore two important types of international university-industry collaboration in China. Through the international university-industry collaboration, foreign universities contribute to the development of innovative capabilities of industries in China, while the foreign companies could play roles in the national innovation system building of host country. This research enriches the theories of open innovation and R&D globalization from the industrial field to the academics. The research suggests that the international university-industry collaboration could be used as a bridge to connect the strategies of open innovation and R&D globalization with the improvement of national innovation system.