Analyzing Policy Instruments Used in Technological Collaboration of 3 Large Firms with Small Technology-based Firms

To facilitate the success of technological collaboration between companies, the use of policy tools plays a key role in encouraging collaboration between the parties. In this study, using case study method, technological collaborations over a period of 10 years (2006 to 2016) between 3 large and 13 small technology-based firm in the field of nanotechnology, biotechnology and information and communication (ICT) in Iran have been studied. In total, by conducting 27 semi-structured interviews with the people involved in these collaborations and analyzing the data by content analysis with axial coding, the policy tools used in the studied collaborations have been identified. The present study was conducted in the period of autumn 2016 to winter 2017 and the results show that financial support in the form of loans and subsidies is one of the most widely used policy tools in all three fields of nanotechnology, biotechnology and ICT fields. In addition, the policy tools used in ICT collaborations have been limited to the monopoly production and loans from relevant support institutions. In contrast, a variety of tools such as guaranteed purchases, financial supports, intermediation, export incentives and import tariffs have been used in nanothechnology and biotechnology collaborations. Identifying policy tools and their applications in collaborations between large and small companies will help policymakers to support technological collaborations more active and more effective.