ABSTRACT
The main purpose of this chapter is to analyse digital internationalisation from the perspective of research institutes. The growing globalisation and development of new technologies require setting up research and development (R&D) consortia involving research institutes. Industry 4.0 has resulted in significantly increased demand for digital solutions. Due to the high R&D costs of new technological solutions, time pressure on their implementation, and the interdisciplinarity of their application, international R&D collaboration has become a necessity. The digital internationalisation of research institutes takes place in at least two areas. The first of these includes external digital platforms that bring together potential candidates for R&D consortiums. The second area contains internal digital platforms, created by consortia leaders, the aim of which is to efficiently manage R&D collaboration within international research projects. Thanks to digital internationalisation, institutes gain extraordinary market, technological, financial, and managerial benefits. The analysis of 25 international research projects of the Łukasiewicz Research Network – Institute of Aviation and the results of 39 in-depth interviews with its scientists and managers show that the key benefits are technological (development of competences and research infrastructure), financial (high-budget research projects), and market (international specialisation).
