Patterns of collaboration in ICT projects in the Framework Programme : is there a European research area ?

EU science policy fosters the ‘overall advancement of knowledge' to develop a European Research Area (ERA). In this framework, it strongly encourages the cooperation – through formal and informal networks – between different organizations and researchers across Europe. The presence of EU research funding can influence both the collaborative behaviour and the degree of internationalization of the research activities. However, the efforts of the EU policy to increase the internationalization of research go hand in hand with the evolution of the national innovation systems. Related to this, the literature has often indicated the need for complementarities between close and distant interactions in order to foster an effective process of knowledge creation and dissemination and, consequently, for policies able to balance developing of ‘global pipeline' (e.g. international collaboration) with efforts in generating and promoting local social capital (Bathelt, Malberg and Maskell, 2004; Gittelman, 2007; Ter Wal and Boschma, 2009).