R&D-cooperation by small and medium sized companies

It is suggested that there is reason to suppose that small and medium-sized manufacturing companies (SMEs) are dependent to a growing degree on R&D cooperation, this being governed by the size and direction of a company's technological orientation. The industrial integration of heterogeneous technologies, which is gaining more and more importance and is reflected in a verifiable increase in R&D cooperation among companies in the industrialized nations, is also drawing SMEs into its wake. Nevertheless R&D cooperation is not a goal in and of itself, but rather one measure among many for attaining ambitious innovation objectives. The most important reason for establishing relationships with third parties for R&D cooperation is the entry of a company into a completely new area of technology. Important prerequisites for successful R&D cooperation by small and medium-sized companies are examined.<>