Twenty-five years of science-industry collaboration: the emergence and evolution of policy-driven research networks across Europe

This paper aims at examining the collaborative networks established during the seven Framework Programmes on Research and Technological Development (1984–2009). These networks are the result of self-organized partnering by different participating entities (industry, universities, research centers and technology users) in subsidized research joint ventures selected on a competitive basis under the thematic priorities and funding rules imposed by the European Union. Social network analysis tools are employed in order to describe and assess the architecture, and the dynamics of the networks that were developed in the context of each Framework Programme. Analysis of organizations’ positioning in the network space will show whether there are some pivotal actors with significant policy implications for knowledge and technology transfer. Last but not least, understanding how these network are formed and how they have evolved over time may provide useful policy implications for the design and structure of the current and future EU Programmes aimed at shaping and creating a unified European Research Area.