How do public programmes shape strategic R&D collaborations? Project-level evidence from the 5th and 6th EU Framework Programmes.

We analyze the micro rationale of EU-sponsored collaborations compared to non-sponsored, spontaneous collaborations. We compare the incentives and coordination mechanisms of each type of collaboration, and derive propositions that we test empirically. Our econometric analysis uses recent data on (sponsored and non-sponsored) projects conducted by participants in the 5th and 6th European R&D Framework Programmes. Our empirical findings support our main propositions. Compared to spontaneous collaborations, EU-sponsored collaborations clearly have different characteristics and follow a different rationale. However, there is no major difference between the different types of EU-sponsored collaborations.