In this perspective paper we discuss major trends that will shape the internationalisation of business R&D in the future. New scientific discoveries will provide new opportunities to innovate; the growing scientific capabilities in emerging economies will create new hot spots for relevant knowledge; new research activities will emerge from the need to combat climate change; digital technologies including artificial intelligence will further facilitate coordination and knowledge exchange within MNEs and help to create new products and services. Finally, techno-nationalism and new geo-political tensions urge for more attention to the interactions between MNEs and nation-states in science and technology. A perspective that considers science as a source of national superiority may be at odds with the global organization of R&D and innovation in multinational enterprises. As a conclusion, we see most trends that contribute to the growth of R&D internationalisation as intact. IB research should bring nation-states back into the analysis as actors, not as mere locational factors, and build on its own rich tradition of embracing multifaceted approaches and transcending intellectual boundaries and explore the dynamics of MNE R&D internationalisation.

在这篇透视论文中，我们讨论了未来影响商业研发国际化的主要趋势。新的科学发现将为创新提供新的机遇；新兴经济体不断增长的科学能力将为相关知识创造新的热点；新的研究活动将因应对气候变化的需要而出现；包括人工智能在内的数字技术将进一步促进跨国企业内部的协调和知识交流，并有助于创造新产品和服务。最后，技术民族主义和新的地缘政治紧张局势促使人们更多地关注跨国企业与民族国家在科学技术方面的互动。将科学视为国家优势源泉的观点可能与跨国企业的全球研发和创新组织不一致。总之，我们认为有助于研发国际化增长的大多数趋势都完好无损。国际文凭研究应该将民族国家作为行动者而不是仅仅作为地点因素重新纳入分析，并建立在其自身丰富的传统基础上，即采用多方面的方法和超越知识界限，并探索跨国公司研发国际化的动力。