R&D Globalization and its effects in Iran: past, present and future perspectives and the implications for new and emerging methods of R&D management.

The globalization of R&D is not a recent phenomenon. Since the 1960s, for various reasons, companies have been performing some kind of R&D activities outside their home countries (Reddy 2005). “Who does R&D, how and where it is done, and even the rate and nature of the innovation it brings about are all undergoing fundamental changes. These changes will have critical impacts on strategic R&D decisions by businesses and governments large and small. Indeed, the transformation of R&D is one of the most important factors driving the evolution of the global economy today” (Schmid and Hirsfeld, 2005). Although most R&D activity has for a long time been concentrated in a few advanced economies, this is now beginning to change and R&D activity is becoming more geographically dispersed and technologically specialised. Since the 1990s key driving forces for the globalization of R&D include the increasing demand for skilled scientists, rising R&D costs, the globalization of business, the internationalization of manufacturing capacity, and the growth of new markets. The development of powerful ICTs has facilitated Globalization. The benefits of R&D on an economy can be appropriated in some new ways which involve international knowledge transfer and collaborations. All of these factors create opportunities and implications for R&D management in developing economies and countries in transition.