Stage of development, governance and performance of inter-firm innovation cooperation: a conceptual model and propositions

This paper presents a framework for the dyadic study of inter-firm innovation cooperation, beyond the boundaries of collaborative innovation projects. In order to understand how two firms can maximize the performance of their relationship, we performed a literature review combined with interviews with practitioners. The result of this study is a model associated with propositions on the interactions between its different elements, which are (i) the governance of the relationship, (ii) its performance, (iii) its level of development and (iv) the degree of innovation of the collaborative projects. This paper concludes by suggesting future researches and stating implications for managers.