A latecomer firm's R&D collaboration with advanced country universities and research institutes: The case of Huawei in Germany

Innovative latecomer firms are frequently examined for their international knowledge-seeking behavior and approaches towards fast technological learning. Within this line of research, however, little attention has been paid to latecomer firms' collaborative R&D with universities and research institutes (URI) in advanced economies. This paper examines the case of Huawei's collaborative R&D activities with German URI. It finds that in this latecomer case, the aims and the organization of collaboration differ markedly from the standard assumptions regarding university-industry collaboration with established firms: Huawei's collaborative R&D projects are aimed at fast and unidirectional technology absorption, involve a high degree of control and do not seek long-term personal interaction. The manifestation of these characteristics, however, changes over time. With these findings, this paper adds a new perspective to the literature on university-industry collaboration and to the literature on latecomer firms' knowledge-seeking behavior.