Characteristics of the client sectors of R&D services in Korea

Summary

The Korean government has had difficulty in boosting the R&D services industry despite of the huge expectation for its potential benefits as a source of innovation facilitators. This paper argues that the initial key is not only in R&D service providers but also in R&D service client firms because the providers do not have a common ground in the outcome but rather in the function provided for diverse client firms. This paper categorizes manufacturing client sectors by their use of R&D services and investigates the behaviors of R&D services utilization by each sector group. As a result, it classifies client sectors into four groups, namely, new growth engine sectors, high‐technology‐ based key industrial sectors, traditional industrial sectors, and consumer‐goods sectors. The detailed characteristics of each group are determined by using a questionnaire survey. The study shows the need for a customized approach to R&D service development by client sectors.

Keywords:

• R&D outsourcing
• R&D services
• R&D service clients
• R&D service firms
• Korea