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.