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Internationalization of R&D

Fabrice Martin, translation by Cynthia Schoch

A report by the Conseil d’Analyse Stratégique (French forecasting agency) looked into the attractiveness of France in a world where R&D centers are becoming as mobile as manufacturing plants.

The trend is confirmed in all countries: the share of R&D expenses incurred by firms abroad has skyrocketed.

In 2004, the Commissariat Général au Plan (former French Department of the Plan) and the European Industrial Research Management Association (EIRMA) conducted a survey among R&D heads of 46 companies established in Europe to understand what criteria might influence the location of their R&D activities.

Their answers “stress the quality of resident researchers, public research centers and infrastructures, including in information and communication technology. With respect to these criteria, the regulatory framework and tax structure, the cost of R & D activities (particularly in terms of human resources) apparently has only a limited influence, which is likely to grow in the coming years."

Internationalisation de la R & D des entreprises et attractivité de la France, Mohamed Harfi, Claude Mathieu, Étienne Pfister, Conseil d'analyse stratégique, 2007, 60 pages.