R&D collaboration in the life sciences: Finding partners and the role of resource-based inducements and opportunities

This paper addresses interorganisational collaboration by science-based firms active in the Dutch life sciences. More specifically, we focus on two aspects (1) Processes of finding partners; and (2) Resource-based inducements and opportunities guiding these processes. Overall, there appears to be an evolution from untargeted to targeted search as the firms become more established within the technological field. Unestablished firms largely depend on accepting invitations for collaboration offered to them by partners while more established firms are able to successfully initiate partnerships themselves. Considering more than one potential partner, e.g. actual partner selection, does not occur regularly, especially not in the case of partnerships initiated by the partner instead of the focal organisation. The use of a standardised list of preconditions to be considered in partner selection could be relevant here. © Imperial College Press 2010