SOAS Research Online

Abstract

As global emphasis on sustainable development intensifies, the synergy between academic research and industry expertise becomes vital for advancing low-carbon technologies. Nevertheless, the prior literature mainly focuses on the multinational enterprises (MNEs) capabilities in collaborating with local universities to promote sustainable development goals, underestimating the critical role of International Joint Ventures (IJVs) in leveraging university-industry partnerships. This paper investigates the IJV’s networking capabilities in managing university-industry partnerships to facilitate low-carbon innovation over time. The study delves into how IJVs, as unique collaborative entities between MNEs and local firms, leverage their networking capabilities to link universities' theoretical knowledge and parents' practical, market-driven focus to promote low-carbon innovation. Adopting a longitudinal multiple case study, we conducted data collection in three rounds from 2017 to 2023, featuring 60 semi-structured interviews with 22 informants, six on-site observations and a document review of 1218 pages. Our findings highlight the networking capabilities of IJVs comprising different functionalities for relationship initiation, development and establishment/termination over time. IJVs with reactive networking capabilities participate in joint research and development (R&D) projects with parents and universities in parent networks to share research outputs addressing common technical problems. In contrast, proactive networking capabilities enable IJVs to actively search, select, extend and deepen IJV-university partnerships from parent networks and independent channels, becoming a crucial source of competitive advantages in the existing and prospective low-carbon technology sector.