Technology sourcing: Are biotechnology firms different? An exploratory study of the Spanish case

In this paper, we study the pattern of technology sourcing, taking into account where firms’ source technology and through which channels. We specifically, inquire whether biotechnology firms are different from other firms in their technology sourcing behaviour. Our results show some significant differences in the patterns of technology sourcing. Biotechnology firms show a greater propensity for external technology sourcing both with regard to the external purchasing of R&D services and with regard to cooperation for innovation. They also show a greater propensity for foreign R&D purchasing relations but they are not more likely to establish foreign cooperation for innovation once we control for their firm-specific and industry characteristics as well as sample selection bias. Biotechnology firms do, however, show a more varied pattern of sourcing both concerning the types of agents and the geographic origin of technology. This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in Science and Public Policy following peer review. The version of record Adelheid Holl and Ruth Rama, Technology sourcing: Are biotechnology firms different? An exploratory study of the Spanish case. Science and Public Policy (2012) 39 (3): 304317. doi: 10.1093/scipol/scs007 is available online at: http://spp.oxfordjournals.org/content/39/3/304.short. 1 Financial support from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación [ECO2010-17485] and CSIC [200910I105] is gratefully acknowledged. The authors wish to thank Juan FernándezSastre for research assistance. Part of this research was carried out during a research visit by Holl at the Joanneum Research in Graz, Austria, thanking specially Christian Hartmann.