NIST GCR 06-889 - Findings from the Advanced Technology Program's Survey of Joint Ventures
1. Motivations for Forming an ATP-supported Joint Venture
The Advanced Technology Program (ATP) fosters collaboration among companies, universities, research laboratories, and nonprofit organizations through the co-funding of research joint ventures in all technology areas. The Survey of ATP Joint Ventures explores factors that motivate participants in joint ventures to collaborate in high-risk, innovative research projects that lead to broad-based economic benefits.
Survey Questions |
Rank the importance of possible motivations for forming a joint venture on a scale ranging from "not at all important" to "extremely important". Motivations include:
- Pool resources with other firms in order to reduce the cost of R&D or achieve a greater scale of effort
- Benefit from complementary R&D expertise and capabilities of different firms
- Gain knowledge and learn from other firms
- Address a technical problem that is common to the industry
- Access commercialization capabilities of other firms
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Note: Only statistically significant results are reported in this publication.
Benefiting from complementary R&D expertise of other firms was the most frequently cited motivation for forming a joint venture (see Figure 1.1).1
- More than four out of five respondents said that benefiting from complementary R&D expertise
and the capabilities of different firms was an important reason to partner with other companies
to implement the ATP-funded project.2
- Nearly three-quarters of the respondents indicated that pooling resources with other firms and
addressing a technical problem in their industries were important reasons in their company's
decision to partner with other firms.
- Two-thirds of the respondents reported that their motivation for joining the joint venture was
to gain knowledge and learn from other firms.
- Almost three-quarters of the respondents reported that addressing a technical problem that is
common to the industry was an important reason to form a joint venture.
- Two out of five respondents reported that forming a joint venture to access commercialization
capabilities of other firms was an important reason to form a joint venture.
Figure 1.1 - Percent of companies that reported that these motivations for forming a joint venture were important |
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Motivations for forming a joint venture vary by joint venture size (see Table 1.1).
- Respondents in joint ventures with 2 partners were more likely than respondents in larger joint
ventures to view the benefits of complementary expertise as an important reason in their decision
to form a joint venture.
- Respondents in joint ventures with 6 to 1 0 partners were more likely than respondents in joint
ventures with 11 or more partners to view the need to pool resources with other firms as important
in their decision to form a joint venture.
- Respondents in joint ventures with 11 or more partners were more likely than respondents in joint
ventures with 5 or fewer partners to view the opportunity to gain knowledge and learn from other
firms as an important reason for forming a joint venture.
- Respondents in joint ventures with 6 to 1 0 partners were more likely than respondents in joint
ventures with 2 partners to view the opportunity to address a technological problem that is common
to the industry as an important reason for forming a joint venture.
Table 1.1 - Important motivations for forming a joint venture, by number of joint venture partners |
| Number of joint venture partners |
Pool resources with other firms |
Benefit from complementary R&D expertise |
Gain knowledge and learn from other firms |
Address a technological problem that is common to the industry |
Access commercialization capabilities of other firms |
| 2 partners |
67% |
93% |
59% |
61% |
48% |
| 3 to 5 partners |
74% |
81% |
58% |
71% |
44% |
| 6 to 10 partners |
79% |
82% |
72% |
78% |
43% |
| 11+ partners |
61% |
73% |
77% |
77% |
30% |
Motivations for forming a joint venture do not differ by respondent's ATP technology area (see Table 1.2).
- Respondents in different ATP technology areas did not differ significantly in their stated motivations
for forming a joint venture.
- One exception was that respondents representing projects in Manufacturing were more likely than
those in Electronics & Photonics projects to indicate that gaining knowledge and learning from other
firms was an important reason for forming a joint venture.
Table 1.2 - Important motivations for forming a joint venture, by project technology area |
| Technology Area |
Pool resources with other firms |
Benefit from complementary R&D expertise |
Gain knowledge andl earn from other firms |
Address a technological problem that is common to the industry |
Access commercialization capabilities of other firms |
| Chemistry & Materials |
74% |
88% |
68% |
71% |
44% |
| Biotechnology |
59% |
89% |
52% |
56% |
41% |
| Electronics & Photonics |
73% |
83% |
59% |
72% |
49% |
| Information Technology |
74% |
82% |
60% |
76% |
32% |
| Manufacturing |
71% |
77% |
75% |
74% |
38% |
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1. Please note that, unless otherwise specified, all analyses presented in this publication include only responses from for-profit companies.
2. We have combined the response categories "extremely important" and "very important" for ease of reporting.
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Date created: August 2, 2006
Last updated:
September 1, 2006
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