Influence of social capital, market orientation, and technological readiness on researchers’ interactions with companies

André Luis Rossoni (), Eduardo Pinheiro Gondim Vasconcellos () and Roberto Sbragia ()
Additional contact information
André Luis Rossoni: Embrapa Agrossilvipastoril
Eduardo Pinheiro Gondim Vasconcellos: Universidade de São Paulo
Roberto Sbragia: Universidade de São Paulo

Future Business Journal, 2024, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-21

Abstract: Abstract This study investigates the influence of social capital, market orientation, and technological readiness levels (TRLs) on the intensity of collaboration between researchers from a public research institution in Brazil and companies, and how TRLs moderate this relationship. Using a quantitative approach, we applied structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze responses from researchers at this institution. The analysis highlights the critical roles of social capital and market orientation in fostering effective R&D interactions. Social capital enhances collaboration through trust and network strength, while market orientation aligns R&D efforts with market needs, ensuring that innovations are both relevant and timely. Importantly, this study explores how technological readiness levels (TRLs) moderate these relationships, offering insights into the varying impact of social capital and market orientation across different stages of technological development. Findings reveal that participation in projects with TRLs 4 to 6, known as the Valley of Death, significantly moderates the impact of market orientation on researchers' interaction intensity with companies, underscoring the importance of considering technological maturity in R&D collaborations. The study is framed within the open innovation approach, emphasizing the importance of leveraging external knowledge and collaborative networks to enhance innovation outcomes. Theoretically, this research extends the existing models of R&D collaboration by illustrating how TRLs modify the effects of social capital and market orientation. Practically, it offers actionable insights for R&D managers and policymakers on structuring environments that foster robust academic–industry partnerships, facilitating the successful transition of innovations from conceptualization to market readiness.

Keywords: Social capital; Market orientation; Technological readiness level; R&D interaction; Open innovation; Valley of death (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1186/s43093-024-00359-9 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:futbus:v:10:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1186_s43093-024-00359-9

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://fbj.springeropen.com/

DOI: 10.1186/s43093-024-00359-9

Access Statistics for this article

Future Business Journal is currently edited by Soad Kamel Rizk and Hayam Wahba

More articles in Future Business Journal from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().