Recent Location of Foreign R&D Activities by Large MNCs in the European Regions. The Role of Different Sources of Spillovers

This paper examines the recent siting of foreign-owned corporate technological development in European regions. The data used are patents granted in the U.S. to the worlds largest firms in the period 1987-95. The authors find that location decisions are positively influenced by intra- and inter-industry spillovers, and the local scientific and educational infrastructure.