ABSTRACT
The UK, by European standards, has attracted a high proportion of Japanese manufacturing investment, and an even larger share of research and development (R&D) centres. ‘Internationalization’ of corporate R&D, which can include acquisitions, joint ventures and research contracts with higher education institutions, is a recent phenomenon, especially so for Japanese firms.
This paper describes Japanese overseas R&D in the context of the general trends applying to all international companies. It also presents the results of a preliminary survey of ten major centres in the UK. The centres were established for a variety of reasons including contact with the local science base and the benefits of a research environment favourable to creativity. Political factors are also relevant.
Further research is called for to clarify the role of such centres and their significance for the internationalization of R&D generally.
