Agent-based simulation of cooperative innovation in R&D

This article introduces an agent-based simulation model representing the dynamic processes of cooperative R&D in the manufacturing sector of South Korea. Firms' behaviors were defined according to empirical findings on a data set from the internationally standardized Korean Innovation Survey in 2005. Simulation algorithms and parameters were defined based on the determinants of firms' likelihood to participate in cooperation with other firms when conducting innovation activities. The calibration process was conducted to the point where artificially generated scenarios were equivalent to the one observed in the real world. The aim of this simulation game was to create a basic implementation that could be extended to test different policies strategies in order to observe sector responses (including cross-sector spillovers) when promoting cooperative innovation. Based on the evaluation of simulated research collaboration data, sector responses to strategies concerning government intervention in R&D of the firms can now be assessed.