Comparative analysis of industrial R&D cooperation in Korea and the United States

Over the past few decades, it has become common for most industrialized countries to encourage industrial cooperation in the field of research and development as a means of accelerating technological innovation and promoting economic growth. However, industrial R&D cooperation has been shaped quite differently in different countries. Postulating that this is largely due to their different national innovation systems, this thesis empirically analyzes the patterns of industrial R&D cooperation in Korea and the United States and examines them in relation to each country's respective national innovation system.;The study shows that the patterns of industrial R&D cooperation in Korea and the United States have been very different in terms of organization, nature and roles of participants, and interactions between participants, reflecting their own unique national innovation systems. Industrial R&D cooperation in Korea during the past few decades can be generally characterized as 'state-led' while that in the U.S. as 'market-led.' Reflecting on this empirical finding, this study suggests the value of a more 'pluralistic' national innovation system for Korea, a nation which is currently striving to upgrade its technological capability to the levels of leading countries. This calls for a less direct involvement of Korean government in industrial R&D cooperation.;The study also shows that industrial R&D cooperation in both Korea and the U.S. has been largely driven by the incentive to open up new technological opportunities in 'young' industries. As expected, the exploration of technological possibilities in these emerging (fluid) industries seems to have had a stronger incentive for industrial R&D cooperation in the U.S., reflecting the advanced stage of its economy, its more advanced technological capabilities, and more pluralistic economic/institutional environment.