The policy implications of the globalisation of innovation

The paper develops a taxonomy of the globalisation of innovation based on t hree categories: (a) the international exploitation of technology produced on a national basis; (b) the global generation of innovations; (c) the glob al technological collaborations. The most evident changes implied by the in creasing globalisation of innovation and technology are the tougher and inc reased competition and the greater collaboration between actors, both acros s and within national boundaries. The advantages, just as the costs, of the se tendencies can be substantial, leading to a higher risk of 'winners and losers'. The paper analyses the different impact that each category might h ave on the economic and innovative performance of countries and regions, wi th the aim of defining the implications for national policies. It is sugges ted that public policies play a different role in each of the three process es of the globalisation of innovation and that a single strategy does not e xist, neither from a firm's nor from a government's perspective. The paper emphasis that none of the three categories in this taxonomy renders nationa l policy obsolete. On the contrary, public policies are necessary on a far wider range than those currently implemented in the majority of countries. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.