The recent wave of technological alliances is changing the way high-technology companies conduct research and development in Canada. While most companies still conduct their R&D in isolation, the secretive, closed laboratory is becoming a thing of the past. Flexible Innovation, the first study of the Canadian context, is a comprehensive look at the state of technical collaboration in high-technology firms and a guidebook for formulating and facilitating technical alliances.

Basing his study on in-depth interviews with more than 130 companies across Canada, Jorge Niosi analyses the scope of collaborative research activities - both domestic and international - in the fields of biotechnology, electronics, advanced materials, and manufacturing of transportation equipment. He describes successful patterns of collaboration, obstacles and limitations, and the role of public policy, universities, and government laboratories in technological alliances. He compares Canadian partnerships and public policy with similar patterns in the United States, Europe, and Japan.