Today, countries as well as companies face high competition conditions at the global level. In order to increase the level of competition for both firms and countries, it is vital to implement technological changes and innovations based on research and development (R&D). In this respect, university-industry collaboration in R&D has an important role to play in increasing such technological changes and innovations in order to improve the competitiveness of both firms and countries. In this context, the main aim of this study is to analyze the effects of university-industry collaborative R&D on the global competitiveness of countries throughout the world using statistical techniques. This study finds that the global competitiveness of countries increases in proportion to increased university-industry collaborative R&D. Therefore, the study seeks to help decision makers at both the firm and national levels to design better policies and strategies for university-industry R&D collaboration to achieve sustainable global competitiveness and economic growth.
Top2. Literature
University–industry collaboration is one of the most important components of the myriad factors affecting countries’ global competitiveness. Literature on the relationship between global competitiveness and university–industry collaboration is summarized in the following paragraphs. There are numerous factors that can help increase global competitiveness for countries and firms; however, among them, innovation and education, with a focus on R&D activities, can most significantly contribute to competitiveness (Dima et al., 2018). According to the World Economic Forum (2015), which defines competitiveness as “the set of institutions, policies and factors that determine the level of productivity of a country,” while a country’s competitiveness determines its level of productivity, efficiency, and profitability, the level of prosperity that can be achieved by a country is dependent on its level of productivity. In the context of university–industry collaboration, while the globalization of innovation fosters numerous opportunities to increase the productivity of the actors involved, business dynamism and innovation capability are the most important determinants of countries’ global competitiveness.
While Palei (2015) states that the level of institutional development and effective infrastructure management, which is determined primarily by road quality, railroad infrastructure, air transport, and electricity supply, are two factors that can enhance national competitiveness, Cavusoglu (2016) draws attention to the importance of human capital. Pointing out that knowledge-based economic transformation is vital for economic growth, she argues that human capital, i.e., qualified and educated individuals, is pivotal to driving innovation and creating new technologies. Therefore, it would be safe to say that knowledge-intensive activities are significant contributors to growth and competitiveness (Kline, 2006), as they boost quality and, as a result, increase a country’s or a company’s likelihood of achieving success in highly competitive global markets.
However, Feldmann et al. (2019) claim that innovation alone is insufficient to increase the competitiveness of companies or countries, instead advocating for the necessity of best management practices, as a mediator between innovation and global competitiveness, to improve competitiveness.