Techno-Globalism and the EU Framework Programmes: evidence from multinational parent companies and subsidiaries

Abstract

This study examines the participation of European multinational corporations (MNCs) in EU Framework Programs (FPs) using project-level data retrieved from the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, Horizon Dashboard, and CORDIS. The research analyzes the collaboration networks formed by parent companies and their subsidiaries through participation indicators and network analysis, exploring patterns of engagement, centrality, and the role of subsidiaries in local and global knowledge exchange. Results show that MNCs widely use FPs to access strategic knowledge and technology rather than funding, with parent companies concentrated in central Europe and subsidiaries enabling the geographic dispersion of R&D activities. Network analysis reveals a collaborative structure with low density but high cohesion, consistent with a “small world” phenomenon. Subsidiaries are highly connected locally, while parent companies lead in intermediating collaborations. Internal collaboration between parent and subsidiary does not significantly affect network centrality. These findings advance understanding of technological globalization, the role of MNCs in public R&D networks and provide a replicable framework for analyzing corporate collaboration dynamics.