Here or there?: a survey of factors in multinational R&D location

In this report to the Government-University-Industry Research Roundtable, authors Jerry Thursby and Marie Thursby summarize their research on the globalization of corporate R&D.

The authors surveyed 200 multinational companies about recent and future R&D location decisions, and the factors influencing those decisions.

The survey confirms that China and India are primary targets of R&D expansion, but this trend does not yet portend a "e;hollowing out"e; of R&D capability in the United States.

R&D location decisions are complex and driven by a variety of factors, including the potential for market growth, the quality of R&D personnel, and the environment for collaborating with universities.

The cost of research, while important, is not the primary factor in siting decisions.