scieee Science in your language
[en] (orig)

Tracking the literature on strategic alliances in the biotechnology industry: Insights from a bibliometric approach over the last 30 years

Author: Carvajal-Camperos, Marisol,Almodóvar, Paloma
Publisher: Leeds: Emerald
Year: 2025
DOI: 10.1108/EJMBE-07-2022-0215
Source: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/325596/1/1923037064.pdf
Ca ajal-Campe os, Ma isol; Almodó a , Paloma
A icle
T acking he li e a u e on s a egic alliances in he
bio echnology indus y: Insigh s om a bibliome ic
app oach o e he las 30 yea s
Eu opean Jou nal o Managemen and Business Economics (EJM&BE)
P o ided in Coope a ion wi h:
Eu opean Academy o Managemen and Business Economics (AEDEM), Vigo (Pon e ed a)
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Ca ajal-Campe os, Ma isol; Almodó a , Paloma (2025) : T acking he li e a u e
on s a egic alliances in he bio echnology indus y: Insigh s om a bibliome ic app oach o e he
las 30 yea s, Eu opean Jou nal o Managemen and Business Economics (EJM&BE), ISSN 2444-8451,
Eme ald, Leeds, Vol. 34, Iss. 2, pp. 245-262,
h ps://doi.o g/10.1108/EJMBE-07-2022-0215
This Ve sion is a ailable a :
h ps://hdl.handle.ne /10419/325596
S anda d-Nu zungsbedingungen:
Die Dokumen e au EconS o dü en zu eigenen wissenscha lichen
Zwecken und zum P i a geb auch gespeiche und kopie we den.
Sie dü en die Dokumen e nich ü ö en liche ode komme zielle
Zwecke e iel äl igen, ö en lich auss ellen, ö en lich zugänglich
machen, e eiben ode ande wei ig nu zen.
So e n die Ve asse die Dokumen e un e Open-Con en -Lizenzen
(insbesonde e CC-Lizenzen) zu Ve ügung ges ell haben soll en,
gel en abweichend on diesen Nu zungsbedingungen die in de do
genann en Lizenz gewäh en Nu zungs ech e.
Te ms o use:
Documen s in EconS o may be sa ed and copied o you pe sonal
and schola ly pu poses.
You a e no o copy documen s o public o comme cial pu poses, o
exhibi he documen s publicly, o make hem publicly a ailable on he
in e ne , o o dis ibu e o o he wise use he documen s in public.
I he documen s ha e been made a ailable unde an Open Con en
Licence (especially C ea i e Commons Licences), you may exe cise
u he usage igh s as speci ied in he indica ed licence.
h ps://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/4.0/
T acking he li e a u e on s a egic
alliances in he bio echnology
indus y: insigh s om
a bibliome ic app oach
o e he las 30 yea s
Ma isol Ca ajal-Campe os
Depa men o Business Economics,
Uni e sidad Rey Juan Ca los –Campus de Vical a o, Mad id, Spain, and
Paloma Almod
o a
Depa men o Business O ganisa ion, Complu ense Uni e si y o Mad id,
Mad id, Spain
Abs ac
Pu pose –The pu pose o his s udy is o iden i y pape s ha ha e p oduced he mos signi ican impac on
esea ch on s a egic alliances in he bio echnology indus y. The au ho s a emp o illus a e he hema ic
e olu ion o i s in ellec ual s uc u e h ough 616 pape s published be ween 1992 and 2021.
Design/me hodology/app oach –The p esen esea ch me hodology elies on h ee dis inc echniques,
implemen ed using SciMa so wa e: (1) bibliome ic echniques, (2) scien i ic map analysis and (3) con en
analysis o esea ch documen s om he Web o Science (WoS). In his manne , he au ho s analyse he
in ellec ual s uc u e o he ield o s a egic alliances in he bio echnology indus y, acking i s e olu ion o e
a pe iod o h ee decades.
Findings –The s udy emphasises he ele ance o “inno a ion”as a key heme and iden i ies se e al po en ial
a eas o u u e esea ch, which could se e as a ounda ion o u he in es iga ions.
O iginali y/ alue –This s udy ep esen s a no el con ibu ion o he li e a u e as i is he i s o use he SciMa
ool o analyse s a egic alliances in he bio echnology indus y. This esea ch e eals ha while s a egic
alliances ha e been assessed ex ensi ely ac oss a ious indus ies, some opics, such as he ypes and o ma ion
o alliances, ha e no been speci ically s udied in he bio echnology indus y. These a eas as well as he ba ie s
and a iables in luencing he o ma ion o alliances o e p omising a enues o u u e esea ch in his ield.
Keywo ds S a egic alliance, Bio echnology indus y, Bibliome ic analysis, Scien i ic mapping, Co-wo d analysis
Pape ype Resea ch pape
1. In oduc ion
A s a egic alliance is cha ac e ised as a luid mode o ex e nal expansion ha en ails wo o
mo e en i ies ope a ing wi h legal and economic au onomy and wi hou any inancial
obliga ions o hie a chical links. The unde lying goal o such a pa ne ship is o ul il mu ual
objec i es ha may be di icul o achie e independen ly, such as enhancing compe i i e
ad an age, gene a ing alue and os e ing syne gies, by means o a ime-limi ed con ac ual
a angemen ha go e ns he in ol emen o he pa icipan s (Ca ajal-Campe os e al., 2021,
S a egic
alliances in he
bio echnology
indus y
245
© Ma isol Ca ajal-Campe os and Paloma Almod
o a . Published in Eu opean Jou nal o Managemen
and Business Economics. Published by Eme ald Publishing Limi ed. This a icle is published unde he
C ea i e Commons A ibu ion (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may ep oduce, dis ibu e, ansla e and
c ea e de i a i e wo ks o his a icle ( o bo h comme cial and non comme cial pu poses), subjec o ull
a ibu ion o he o iginal publica ion and au ho s. The ull e ms o his licence may be seen a h p://
c ea i ecommons.o g/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
The cu en issue and ull ex a chi e o his jou nal is a ailable on Eme ald Insigh a :
h ps://www.eme ald.com/insigh /2444-8494.h m
Recei ed 11 July 2022
Re ised 17 Ma ch 2023
Accep ed 7 May 2023
Eu opean Jou nal o Managemen
and Business Economics
Vol. 34 No. 2, 2025
pp. 245-262
Eme ald Publishing Limi ed
e-ISSN: 2444-8494
p-ISSN: 2444-8451
DOI 10.1108/EJMBE-07-2022-0215
p. 303). In he bio echnology indus y, s a egic alliances a e pa icula ly impo an as hey
p o ide companies wi h access o new echnologies ha would o he wise be challenging o
acqui e due o he high cos s and high isk o knowledge app op ia ion associa ed wi h his
indus y. S a egic alliances a e ins umen al in d i ing scien i ic, echnological and
inno a i e de elopmen s, which in u n os e sus ainable economic g ow h, ul ima ely
esul ing in long- e m success (Bengoa e al., 2021).
The bio echnology indus y is academically ele an due o i s pi o al posi ion in con ibu ing
o he na ional g oss domes ic p oduc and gene a ing job oppo uni ies on a global scale. The
subs an ial ax e enues gene a ed by his indus y u he emphasise i s impo ance. Recen
e en s, such as he COVID-19 pandemic, ha e highligh ed he c i ical ole he bio echnology sec o
plays in sa egua ding human li es. No ably, bio echnology accoun s o se en ou o 10 d ugs
cu en ly in de elopmen wo ldwide. Addi ionally, his indus y plays a key ole in acili a ing he
ansi ion o sus ainable p ac ices, such as he adop ion o eco- iendly ag icul u al me hods and
he p omo ion o a bioeconomy. These e o s ha e con ibu ed o an 18.4% educ ion in he
En i onmen al Impac Quo ien and he conse a ion o wa e esou ces in c ops (AseBio, 2021).
The bio echnology indus y is p ima ily composed o small- and medium-sized en e p ises, excep
o pha maceu ical co po a ions (Leu, 2022). This sec o is esponsible o gene a ing nume ous
g ound-b eaking inno a ions globally, which ha e p opelled ma ke g ow h. The bio echnology
sec o is also making signi ican con ibu ions o he a ainmen o goal 17 o he 2030 Agenda o
Sus ainable De elopmen (Agenda 2030, 2020).
As Ca ajal-Campe os e al. (2021, p. 304) s a ed, s a egic alliances ha e become
undamen al o companies’compe i i e s a egies as such pa ne ships acili a e he
achie emen o objec i es ha would o he wise be challenging o accomplish. Alliances
p esen an oppo uni y o companies, pa icula ly hose in he bio echnology indus y, o
imp o e hei capabili ies in inno a ion, lea ning and aining; o enhance hei agili y in
esponding o ma ke demands; o op imise hei e iciency and o dis ibu e in es men isks
wi h hei pa ne ing companies (Lange and Wagne , 2021). Howe e , he e is a high isk o
oppo unism when pa ne s wan o lea e he alliance, especially in esea ch and
de elopmen and inno a ion (R&D&i) ac i i ies (Palome as and Weh heim, 2021;
Robinson and S ua , 2007;Spie h e al., 2021).
Acco ding o Cho d
ae al. (2007, p. 109), bio echnology is conside ed an eme ging sec o o
ad anced echnology and is cu en ly in he ini ial s ages o i s ad ancemen , wi h no
appa en limi s o i s po en ial g ow h. The au ho s also highligh ed ha biomedicine was he
as es -g owing a ea o he sec o as i was closely linked o he pha maceu ical indus y.
Thus, he u ilisa ion o scien i ic disco e ies and ad ancemen s o bo h comme cial and
public pu poses is con ingen upon en ep eneu s’ini ia i es o es ablish no el echnology-
o ien ed en e p ises (Sege s, 2015;Sub amanian e al., 2018).
In he bio echnology indus y, s a egic alliances ace wo p ima y hu dles. The i s is he
pa ne s’abili y o acqui e cu en knowledge ha is associa ed wi h in ellec ual p ope y,
and he second is unding (bo h public and p i a e) o secu e he necessa y esou ces o
unde ake esea ch p ojec s and de elop new p oduc s and p ocesses ha mee he needs o
cus ome s in an inc easingly compe i i e and global ma ke (Gilding e al., 2020).
Resea che s a e in e es ed in nume ous a eas o s udy in he ield o s a egic alliances in he
bio echnology sec o , bu many opics emain o be de eloped; he e o e, objec i e c i e ia mus
be used o e alua e he esea ch ha has been conduc ed o da e, analyse i s e olu ion and
ends and iden i y gaps in he li e a u e. To achie e hese goals, we use bibliome ic echniques:
i s , ci a ion analysis o demons a e he po en ial o he opic o s a egic alliances; second,
scien i ic mapping o s udy he e olu ion o his a ea o esea ch and hi d, con en analysis bo h
o deepen he hemes de eloped in he li e a u e and o shed ligh on he opics ha should be
s udied u he . We hen analyse he scien i ic ou pu wi h SciMAT so wa e (Casc
on-
Ka chadou ian e al., 2020;Cobo Ma 
ın, 2012;Cobo e al., 2015;Mon e o e al., 2018).
EJMBE
34,2
246
The li e a u e e iew shows ha he scien i ic ield o s a egic allianceshas expe ienced as
g ow h o e he yea s, su passing e en some es ablished scien i ic a eas; howe e , his g ow h
has no occu ed in he bio echnology sec o . Ou esea ch has wo main objec i es. The i s is
o analyse he e olu ion o s a egic alliances in he bio echnology indus y om 1992 o 2021
and o illus a e he in ellec ual s uc u e o his discipline by iden i ying he key hemes and
heo ies ha ha e a ac ed he a en ion o he esea ch communi y. The second is o iden i y
a eas ha mus s ill be de eloped, and we hence de ine some a enues o u u e esea ch.
Based on he li e a u e e iew ca ied ou in his esea ch, ou s udy is one o he i s o
apply bibliome ic echniques o s a egic alliances in he bio echnology indus y o e he
las 30 yea s using SciMAT so wa e. P io o his s udy, he e was a dea h o schola ly
wo ks ha examined he in ellec ual amewo k and heo e ical ounda ions o his a ea. This
gap in esea ch unde sco es he impo ance o he p esen wo k, which enhances he exis ing
body o knowledge on s a egic alliances in he bio echnology indus y in pa icula .
The emainde o he pape is s uc u ed as ollows: Sec ion 1 o e s an in oduc ion o he
opic a hand. Sec ion 2 ou lines he me hodology employed in he esea ch. Sec ion 3 p esen s
he indings gene a ed h ough he use o SciMAT, and i de ails he p ima y issues, heo ies
and esea ch gaps conce ning s a egic alliances wi hin he bio echnology indus y. Sec ion 4
o e s an in eg a i e analysis o he scien i ic mapping esul s. Finally, Sec ion 5 p o ides
conclusi e ema ks on he esea ch conduc ed, along wi h i s limi a ions.
2. Resea ch design and me hodology
The ex an li e a u e o e s a ious app oaches o conduc ing a sys ema ic li e a u e e iew.
Some schola s ad oca e o a adi ional (manual) heo e ical e iew, in which he esea che
uses hei expe ise o selec ele an documen s and conduc a con en analysis o de i e
insigh s abou he s a e o knowledge in he ield (Ca ajal-Campe os e al., 2021;Gilal e al.,
2019;Paul and Rosado-Se ano, 2019). O he schola s employ a me a-analysis app oach ha
combines s a is ical esul s om mul iple s udies o iden i y pa e ns ha may no be
appa en om indi idual s udies alone (Ga c
ıa C uz and Ram
ı ez Co ea, 2004;Gomes e al.,
2016;Knoll and Ma hes, 2017;Ma iano e al., 2012). Bibliome ic analyses ha sys ema ically
examine bibliog aphic da a, such as publica ion and ci a ion coun s, a e also u ilised o gain
insigh s in o a ious aspec s o schola ly communica ion (Albo -Mo an and Ribei o-
So iano, 2016;Cha e jee and Sahas anamam, 2018;Dabi
ce al., 2020;Fakha e al., 2020).
Mo eo e , some esea che s unde ake in-dep h hyb id analyses ha combine bibliome ic
and con en analysis (de Diego and Almod
o a , 2021;Rod 
ıguez-Ruiz e al., 2019). Fo he
p esen s udy, we selec ed a hyb id app oach o analyse he concep ual s uc u e o s a egic
alliances in he bio echnology indus y and o iden i y u u e esea ch di ec ions h ough he
use o bibliome ics and con en analysis.
In line wi h o he li e a u e e iews, we selec ed schola ly pape s published in he main
da abases o he Web o Science (WoS) pla o m as ou uni o analysis. The WoS p o ides
access o a as a ay o pee - e iewed bibliog aphic da abases, hus ensu ing he high
quali y o he published pape s (Bouckenooghe e al., 2021;Fe nandes e al., 2022;Fe ei a
e al., 2022;Kla in and Suseno, 2021;Xu e al., 2021;Zhang e al., 2021). We speci ically ocused
on he Science Ci a ion Index Expanded and Social Sciences Ci a ion Index da abases, which
a e ela ed o ou esea ch opic.
We based ou esea ch on Cobo e al. (2011) me hodology, which in ol ed using SciMAT
(Cobo e al., 2012;Cobo e al., 2012;Cobo e al., 2015). This ool is based on he h-index and co-
wo d analysis (Callon e al., 1983;Chen e al., 2016;G
al ez, 2018;Leung e al., 2017). This
me hodology allowed us o isualise he beha iou al subdomains o a speci ic a ea o
esea ch o e a ange o ime. Speci ically, we used he SciMAT wo k low (Cobo e al., 2012,
p. 70), which includes ou s ages ha a e de eloped sequen ially, as indica ed in Figu e 1.
S a egic
alliances in he
bio echnology
indus y
247
Topic de ec ion was based on he analysis o bibliome ic pe o mance indica o s h ough
published pape s and ci a ions ecei ed (B and~
ao, 2019;de Diego and Almod
o a , 2021;
Egghe and Rousseau, 2020;Hu e al., 2020).
In he WoS sea ch, we used he e minology iden i ied by Ca ajal-Campe os e al. (2021,
p. 293) ega ding he concep o “s a egic alliance”(e.g. “alliance”,“coope a ion”,“coali ion”,
“join en u e”,“join ac ion”and “bila e al ag eemen ”, along wi h de i a ions he eo ).
In addi ion, he sea ch was limi ed o bio echnology indus y publica ions and e ined by
“managemen ”o “business”ca ego ies. Finally, we only included published academic
pape s and e iews because hey a e conside ed “ce i ied knowledge”(Fe nandez-Alles and
Ramos-Rod 
ıguez, 2009;Ramos-Rod 
ıguez and Ru
ız-Na a o, 2004). These condi ions
ensu ed a high le el o da a quali y (Fe nandez-Alles and Ramos-Rod 
ıguez, 2009;Ramos-
Rod 
ıguez and Ru
ız-Na a o, 2004).
The da a we e ob ained om he WoS on 1 June 2021. The sea ch yielded 772 a icles,
and we sc eened abs ac s and manusc ip s o disca d pape s ha did no mee he equi ed
c i e ia. A o al o 616 pape s me he sea ch equa ion. Figu e 2 shows he e olu ion o
hese publica ions and hei ci a ions on s a egic alliances in he bio echnology
indus y by yea . This allowed us o s udy he ma u i y o he opic o e a pe iod o
almos 30 yea s.
The p esen s udy in ol ed expo ing 616 a icles o he SciMAT so wa e o u he
analysis. To ensu e he accu acy and eliabili y o he da a, we comp ehensi ely e ined he
se o keywo ds. This in ol ed consolida ing keywo ds ha con eyed simila meanings
(e.g. singula and plu al o ms) and elimina ing e ms wi h ague o o e ly gene al
conno a ions ha ailed o con ibu e subs an i ely o he analysis (such as “ esea ch”o
“s udy”). The ini ial se o 1,946 keywo ds was subsequen ly educed o 992 h ough a
Figu e 1.
Wo k low o he s eps
o he me hodology
Figu e 2.
E olu ion o
publica ions and
ci a ions in WoS on
s a egic alliances in
he bio echnology
indus y
EJMBE
34,2
248

p ocess o manual il e ing. The empo al scope o he s udy spanned 30 yea s, om 1
Janua y 1992 o 1 June 2021. Following he app oach o Cobo e al. (2011), we di ided he
30-yea ime ame in o i e consecu i e pe iods, each spanning 6 yea s. The dis ibu ion o
he numbe o documen s pe pe iod is p esen ed in Figu e 3.
Once we c ea ed he pe iods, we analysed he da a ollowing he me hodology ou lined by
Cobo Ma 
ın (2011, p. 152). A he end o he 10 s eps, we analysed he scien i ic maps showing
wo ypes o isualisa ions: longi udinal and by pe iod. In he longi udinal isualisa ion,
we p esen he e olu ion maps, which iden i y he de elopmen o he hemes o e he
pe iods, as well as hei con inui y o disappea ance. In he pe iod isualisa ion, we show
de ailed in o ma ion om he esul s ob ained in each pe iod and p esen s a egic diag am.
Figu e 4 illus a es he implica ions a ising om he dis ibu ion o opics ac oss he ou
quad an s.
22
71
157
197
162
0
50
100
150
200
250
Pe iod 1
(1992-1997)
Pe iod 2
(1998-2003)
Pe iod 3
(2004-2009)
Pe iod 4
(2010-2015)
Pe iod 5
(2016-2021)
Documen s
Sou ce(s): Au ho s’ own elabo a ion
Quad an 2 (Q2):
High densi y, bu low cen ali y.
Themes a e highly specialised bu a e pe iphe al hemes. These
hemes a e well de eloped in e nally bu play a ma ginal ole in
he de elopmen o he scien i ic ield.
Quad an 1 (Q1):
High cen ali y and densi y.
These a e he d i ing hemes. He e a e he de eloping hemes ha
a e impo an o he cons uc ion o he scien i ic ield.
Quad an 3 (Q3):
Low densi y and cen ali y.
These a e he opics ha disappea . They a e opics o low
scien i ic in e es , wi h an upwa d o downwa d end.
Quad an 4 (Q4):
Low densi y, bu high cen ali y.
These a e c oss-cu ing and gene al hemes. They a e s able hemes
bu a e no e y de eloped. They a e impo an o he de elopmen
o he scien i ic ield.
Sou ce(s): Au ho s’ own elabo a ion
Figu e 3.
Numbe o documen s
pe pe iod
Figu e 4.
S a egic diag am o
esea ch hemes
S a egic
alliances in he
bio echnology
indus y
249
3. Analysis o he scien i ic map o s a egic alliances in he bio echnology
indus y
Figu e 5 displays he hema ic e olu ion o he esea ch ield o e he i e pe iods. In he i s
pe iod, esea ch on s a egic alliances ocuses on a single opic, namely “inno a ion”in he
bio echnology indus y. As ime p og esses, esea ch on “inno a ion”is main ained, and
“ ansac ion cos s” heo y (TCT) and di e en app oaches o he esou ce-based iew (RBV;
“dynamic capabili ies”and “capabili ies”) come in o play. In addi ion, he speci ic case o
“ne wo ks”,“ echnological discon inui ies”and new opics ela ed o co po a e inance
(“in es men s”and “public o e ings”) a e add essed. In he hi d and ou h pe iods, he e is
a la ge p oli e a ion o di e en opics, wi h 12 and 13 opics o high ele ance, espec i ely.
In he i h pe iod, he e is a educ ion in he numbe o opics analysed, indica ing ha
academics ocus hei esea ch on 10 speci ic sub-a eas.
A no ewo hy obse a ion pe ains o he endu ing p ominence o he “inno a ion” heme,
which has ga ne ed sus ained esea ch a en ion o e ime, wi h a ied ace s o his heme
being in es iga ed di ec ly o indi ec ly. The bio echnology indus y poses unique
challenges, as companies ope a ing wi hin his sphe e equi e apid and secu e knowledge
gene a ion despi e ypically being comp ised o small o medium-sized en i ies wi h limi ed
esou ces, nego ia ing skills and p ojec managemen expe ience and possessing a limi ed o
sca ce clien po olio. Consequen ly, ex an li e a u e has ocused conside ably on
examining he bene i s and d awbacks o collabo a i e R&D&i p ocesses in ol ing
ex e nal o ganisa ions. Fo a speci ic analysis o he hemes de eloped in each o he pe iods,
i is necessa y o design s a egic diag ams.
Figu e 5.
E olu ion o he
longi udinal map o
s a egic alliances in
he bio echnology
indus y
EJMBE
34,2
250
3.1 S a egy diag am analysis: pe iod 1 (1992–1997)
The s a egic diag am p esen ed in Figu e 6 pe ains o Pe iod 1 and p o ides an o e iew o
he single clus e ha cha ac e ised his pe iod, along wi h i s co esponding pe o mance
indica o s, including cen ali y/densi y alues, h-index and he numbe o ci a ions.
No ably, his diag am highligh s he ac ha s a egic alliances wi hin he bio echnology
indus y e ol e a ound a singula heme, namely “inno a ion”. This d i ing heme is
cha ac e ised by a cen ali y alue o 1, a densi y alue o 31.18, an h-index o 12 and 5,832
ci a ions. This inding sugges s ha inno a ion is a cen al and highly alued aspec o
s a egic alliances wi hin he bio echnology indus y du ing his pe iod.
3.2 S a egy diag am analysis: pe iod 2 (1998–2003)
In Pe iod 2 (1998–2003), he s a egic diag am indica es ha s a egic alliances in he
bio echnology indus y e ol e a ound six esea ch hemes. Figu e 7 shows he s a egic
diag am o he pe iod and he g oupings wi h hei pe o mance indica o s.
The clus e “inno a ion,”loca ed in he Q1 quad an , has he ollowing indica o s: a
cen ali y o 128.89, a densi y o 37.86, an h-index indica o o 41 and 19,161 ci a ions. F om
his, i can be in e ed ha inno a ion is a d i ing heme, o g ea in e es o esea che s and
impo an o he s uc u e o s a egic alliances in he bio echnology indus y. The densi y o
37.86 is no he highes in Pe iod 2, bu i is he clus e o g ea es in e es o esea che s. Two
o he hemes a e impo an o esea che s. The i s is he “ne wo ks”clus e , loca ed in
quad an Q4, wi h a cen ali y o 76.87 and a densi y o 11.55. These igu es sugges ha he
opic unde conside a ion holds signi ican ele ance o ad ancing he scien i ic domain,
gi en i s consis en , ye unde de eloped na u e. The second heme is he “ ansac ion cos s”
clus e , wi h a cen ali y o 65.63 and a densi y o 34.15. This clus e lies a he in e sec ion o
quad an s Q1 and Q4, deno ing a heo e ical amewo k ha is p og essi ely employed o
elucida e di e se ace s o s a egic alliances.
Whils he “inno a ion”clus e demons a es he g ea es impac , he “ ansac ion cos s”
and “ne wo ks”clus e s a e in close p oximi y. This is e lec ed in he indi idual ci a ion
coun s o 19,161, 16,559 and 5,832, espec i ely, which a exceed he combined o al o he
Sou ce(s): Au ho s’ own elabo a ion
Densi y
Cen ali y
Numbe o documen s = 13
H-index = 12
Numbe o documen s ci ed = 5,832
Cen ali y = 1
Densi y = 31.8
Inno a ion
Figu e 6.
S a egic diag am wi h
pe o mance
indica o s. Pe iod 1
(1992–1997)
S a egic
alliances in he
bio echnology
indus y
251
emaining h ee hemes, amoun ing o a me e 4,553 ci a ions. These h ee hemes encompass
he “in es men ”,“ echnology discon inui ies”and “ini ial public o e ings”clus e s, ye hei
espec i e indica o s indica e ha hey emain unde de eloped. Fo example, he clus e
“ini ial public o e ings”, loca ed in quad an Q3, has a densi y o 5.51 and a cen ali y o
28.33; his means ha i is unde de eloped and has no e ol ed much. The las wo clus e s,
“in es men ”and “ echnological discon inui ies”, p esen less ele an indica o s.
3.3 S a egy diag am analysis: pe iod 3 (2004–2009)
In Pe iod 3 (2004–2009), he s a egy diag am indica es ha pa ne ships in he
bio echnology indus y cen e on 12 esea ch hemes. Figu e 8 displays he s a egic
diag am, ea u ing dis inc clus e s and hei co esponding pe o mance indica o s.
The “inno a ion”clus e emains in he i s quad an , wi h a cen ali y o 197.98 and a
densi y o 35.51, an h-index o 63 and 16,122 ci a ions, which a e he highes alues o he
pe iod. In he same quad an Q1, we obse e he clus e s “go e nance”, wi h a cen ali y o
59.67 and a densi y o 24.44, and “dynamic capabili ies”, wi h a cen ali y o 53.67 and a
densi y o 24.06. These alues indica e ha he abo e-men ioned hemes a e in ull
de elopmen and a e o g ea in e es o esea che s. Quad an Q4 ea u es o he opics o
in e es : “bio echnology indus y”,“compe i ion”and “ echnology”, wi h cen ali y sco es o
75.97, 46.88 and 25.72 and densi y alues o 13.93, 7.1 and 3.94, espec i ely. These opics,
al hough ele an o he ad ancemen o he scien i ic ield, a e unde de eloped. In quad an
Q2, he clus e s “R&D alliances”,“success”and “me ge s and acquisi ions”a e o ma ginal
impo ance o he de elopmen o he scien i ic ield. F om he posi ion o he clus e
“exploi a ion”in quad an Q3, we deduce ha his is a disappea ing heme, as i has bo h low
densi y and low cen ali y. The clus e “ echnology ans e ”is loca ed be ween quad an s
Q2 and Q3, wi h a low cen ali y o 2.31 and a densi y o 15.87, which could indica e ha i is
an unde - esea ched opic and could disappea because i is o li le in e es o esea che s.
Finally, he “pa en s”clus e , loca ed be ween quad an s Q3 and Q4 and wi h a cen ali y o
19.65 and a densi y o 12.1, is g owing and may de elop in he u u e.
Sou ce(s): Au ho s’ own elabo a ion
Densi y
Cen ali y
Numbe o documen s = 35
H-index = 29
Numbe o documen s ci ed = 16,559
Cen ali y = 65.63
Densi y = 34.15
Numbe o documen s = 13
H-index = 12
Numbe o documen s ci ed = 5,832
Cen ali y = 76.87
Densi y = 11.55
Numbe o documen s = 56
H-index = 41
Numbe o documen s ci ed = 19,161
Cen ali y = 128.89
Densi y = 37.86
Numbe o documen s = 4
H-index = 4
Numbe o documen s ci ed = 855
Cen ali y = 45.76
Densi y = 62.96
Numbe o documen s = 3
H-index = 3
Numbe o documen s ci ed = 678
Cen ali y = 0
Densi y = 125
Numbe o documen s = 6
H-index = 6
Numbe o documen s ci ed = 3,020
Cen ali y = 5.51
Densi y = 28.33
Inno a ion
T ansac ion-cos
Technological discon inui ies
In es men
Ne wo ks
Ini ial-public-o e ings
Figu e 7.
S a egic diag am wi h
pe o mance
indica o s. Pe iod 2
(1998–2003)
EJMBE
34,2
252
Chung, J., Ko, N. and Yoon, J. (2021), “In en o g oup iden i ica ion app oach o selec ing uni e si y-
indus y collabo a ion pa ne s”,Technological Fo ecas ing and Social Change,
Vol. 171, pp. 1-11.
Coase, R. (1937), “The na u e o he i m”,Economica, Vol. 4 No. 16, pp. 386-405.
Cobo, M.J., L
opez-He e a, A.G., He e a-Viedma, E. and He e a, F. (2011), “An app oach o de ec ing,
quan i ying, and isualizing he e olu ion o a esea ch ield: a p ac ical applica ion o he uzzy
se s heo y ield”,Jou nal o In o me ics, Vol. 5 No. 1, pp. 146-166.
Cobo, M.J., L
opez-He e a, A.G., He e a-Viedma, E. and He e a, F. (2012), “SciMAT: a new science
mapping analysis so wa e ool”,Jou nal o he Ame ican Socie y o In o ma ion Science and
Technology, Vol. 63 No. 8, pp. 1609-1630.
Cobo, M.J., Ma 
ınez, M.-

A., Gu i
e ez-Salcedo, M., Fuji a, H. and He e a-Viedma, E. (2015), “25 yea s
a knowledge-based sys ems: a bibliome ic analysis”,Knowledge-Based Sys ems, Vol. 80,
pp. 3-13.
Cobo Ma 
ın, M.J. (2011), SciMAT: He amien a so wa e poa ab el an
alisis de la e oluci
on del
conocimiemn o cien i ico,P opues a de una me odolog
ıa de e aluaci
on, [Doc o al, Uni e sidad de
G anada]. G anada, Espa~
na.
Cobo Ma 
ın, M.J. (2012), SciMAT: he amien a so wa e pa a el an
alisis de la e oluci
on del
conocimien o cien 
ı ico,P opues a de una me odolog
ıa de e aluaci
on G anada: Uni e sidad de
G anada, G anada, Espa~
na.
Dabi
c, M., Vla
ci
c, B., Paul, J., Dana, L.-P., Sahas anamam, S. and Glinka, B. (2020), “Immig an
en ep eneu ship: a e iew and esea ch agenda”,Jou nal o Business Resea ch, Vol. 113,
pp. 25-38.
Dad a , H., Dahlgaa d, J.J., B ege, S. and A zaghi, B.J. (2014), “In e na ional s a egic alliances in he
I anian pha maceu ical indus y: an analysis o key success and ailu e ac o s”,To al Quali y
Managemen and Business Excellence, Vol. 25 Nos 7-8, pp. 812-826.
Das, T.K. and Teng, B.-S. (2000a), “Ins abili ies o s a egic alliances: an in e nal ensions pe spec i e”,
O ganiza ion Science, Vol. 11 No. 1, pp. 77-101.
Das, T.K. and Teng, B.-S. (2000b), “A esou ce-based heo y o s a egic alliances”,Jou nal o
Managemen , Vol. 26 No. 1, pp. 31-61.
de Diego, E. and Almod
o a , P. (2021), “Mapping esea ch ends on s a egic agili y o e he pas 25
yea s: insigh s om a bibliome ic app oach”,Eu opean Jou nal o Managemen and Business
Economics, Vol. 31 No. 2, pp. 239-238.
Di Dio, F. and Co eani, L. (2020), “Quali y-imp o ing and cos - educing s a egic alliances”,Economia
Poli ica, Vol. 37 No. 2, pp. 493-524.
Do P ado Vicen in, F.O., Galina, S.V.R., Al es, M.F.R. and Viana, A.B.N. (2021), “Asymme ic e ec s o
alliance in ensi y on abso p i e capaci y: he di e ences be ween po en ial and ealized
capaci ies”,Jou nal o Small Business and En e p ise De elopmen , Vol. 28 No. 5, pp. 788-804.
Egghe, L. and Rousseau, R. (2020), “The h-index o malism”,Scien ome ics, Vol. 126 No. 7,
pp. 6137-6145.
Fakha , M.M., Pelleg ini, M.M., Ma zi, G. and Dabic, M. (2020), “Knowledge managemen in he ou h
indus ial e olu ion: mapping he li e a u e and scoping u u e a enues”,IEEE T ansac ions
on Enginee ing Managemen , Vol. 68 No. 1, pp. 289-300.
Fe nandes, C.I., Veiga, P.M., Fe ei a, J.J., Rammal, H.G. and Pe ei a, V. (2022), “Assessing s a egic
leade ship in o ganiza ions: using bibliome ic da a o de elop a holis ic model”,Jou nal o
Business Resea ch, Vol. 141, pp. 646-655.
Fe nandez-Alles, M. and Ramos-Rod 
ıguez, A. (2009), “In ellec ual s uc u e o human esou ces
managemen esea ch: a bibliome ic analysis o he jou nal Human Resou ce Managemen ,
1985-2005”,Jou nal o he Ame ican Socie y o In o ma ion Science and Technology, Vol. 60
No. 1, pp. 161-175.
S a egic
alliances in he
bio echnology
indus y
259

Fe ei a, J.J., Fe nandes, C.I., Guo, Y. and Rammal, H.G. (2022), “Knowledge wo ke mobili y and
knowledge managemen in MNEs: a bibliome ic analysis and esea ch agenda”,Jou nal o
Business Resea ch, Vol. 142, pp. 464-475.
G
al ez, C. (2018), “El campo de in es igaci
on del an
alisis de edes sociales en el 
a ea de las ciencias de
la documen aci
on: Un an
alisis de co-ci aci
on y co-palab as”,Re is a Gene al de In o maci
on y
Documen aci
on, Vol. 28 No. 2, p. 455.
Ga c
ıa C uz, R. and Ram
ı ez Co ea, P. (2004), “El me a an
alisis como ins umen o de in es igaci
on en
la de e minaci
on y an
alisis del obje o de es udio”,XVI Encuen o de P o eso es Uni e si a ios
de Ma ke ing, pp. 1-16, a ailable a : h ps://hdl.handle.ne /11441/71853
Gilal, F.G., Zhang, J., Paul, J. and Gilal, N.G. (2019), “The ole o sel -de e mina ion heo y in ma ke ing
science: an in eg a i e e iew and agenda o esea ch”,Eu opean Managemen Jou nal, Vol. 37
No. 1, pp. 29-44.
Gilding, M., B ennecke, J., Bun on, V., Lushe , D., Molloy, P.L. and Codo eanu, A. (2020), “Ne wo k
ailu e: bio echnology i ms, clus e s and collabo a ions a om he wo ld supe clus e s”,
Resea ch Policy, Vol. 49 No. 2, 103902.
Glais e , K.W. and Buckley, P.J. (1996), “S a egic mo i es o in e na ional alliance o ma ion”,Jo nal
o Managemen S udies, Vol. 33 No. 3, pp. 301-332.
Gomes, E., Ba nes, B.R. and Mahmood, T. (2016), “A 22 yea e iew o s a egic alliance esea ch in
he leading managemen jou nals”,In e na ional Business Re iew, Vol. 25 No. 1, pp. 15-27.
G an , R.M. (1996), “Towa d a knowledge-based heo y o he i m”,S a egic Managemen Jou nal,
Vol. 17 No. S2, pp. 109-122.
G an , R.M. and Baden-Fulle , C. (2004), “A knowledge accessing heo y o s a egic alliances”,Jou nal
o Managemen S udies, Vol. 41 No. 1, pp. 61-84.
Gula i, R. (1995a), “Does amilia i y b eed us ? The implica ions o epea ed ies o con ac ual
choice in alliances”,Academy o Managemen Jou nal, Vol. 38 No. 1, pp. 85-112.
Gula i, R. (1995b), “Social s uc u e and alliance o ma ion pa e ns: a longi udinal analysis”,
Adminis a i e Science Qua e ly, Vol. 40 No. 4, pp. 619-652.
Henna , J.-F. (1988), “A ansac ion cos s heo y o equi y join en u es”,S a egic Managemen
Jou nal, Vol. 9 No. 4, pp. 361-374.
Henna , J.-F. (1991), “The ansac ion cos s heo y o join en u es: an empi ical s udy o Japanese
subsidia ies in he Uni ed S a es”,Managemen Science, Vol. 37 No. 4, pp. 483-497.
He n
andez, O.A. (2010), “Alianzas es a 
egicas ¿adquisici
on o acceso al conocimien o?”,Re is a de
Ciencias Econ
omicas, Vol. 28 No. 2, pp. 263-287.
Ho mann, W.H., Neumann, K. and Speckbache , G. (2010), “The e ec o in e o ganiza ional us on
make-o -coope a e decisions: disen angling oppo unism-dependen and oppo unism-
independen e ec s o us ”,Eu opean Managemen Re iew, Vol. 7 No. 2, pp. 101-115.
Hu, G., Wang, L., Ni, R. and Liu, W. (2020), “Which h-index? An explo a ion wi hin he Web o
science”,Scien ome ics, Vol. 123 No. 3, pp. 1225-1233.
Hu, T., Jain, A. and Delios, A. (2021), “Cen ali y asymme y and pa ne complemen a i y as
in luences on alliance dissolu ion”,B i ish Jou nal o Managemen , Vol. 32 No. 1, pp. 59-79.
Judge, W.Q. and Dooley, R. (2006), “S a egic alliance ou comes: a ansac ion-cos economics
pe spec i e”,B i ish Jou nal o Managemen , Vol. 17 No. 1, pp. 23-37.
Kla in, A. and Suseno, Y. (2021), “A s a e-o - he-a e iew o he sha ing economy: scien ome ic
mapping o he schola ship”,Jou nal o Business Resea ch, Vol. 126, pp. 250-262.
Knoll, J. and Ma hes, J. (2017), “The e ec i eness o celeb i y endo semen s: a me a-analysis”,Jou nal
o he Academy o Ma ke ing Science, Vol. 45 No. 1, pp. 55-75.
Lange, S. and Wagne , M. (2021), “The in luence o explo a o y e sus exploi a i e acquisi ions on
inno a ion ou pu in he bio echnology indus y”,Small Business Economics, Vol. 56 No. 2,
pp. 659-680.
EJMBE
34,2
260
Leu, L. (2022), “Pe spec i as p ome edo as pa a el sec o bio ecnol
ogico”, a ailable a : h ps://
undspeople.com/es/opinion/pe spec i as-p ome edo as-pa a-el-sec o -bio ecnologico/ (accessed
8 Ma ch 2023).
Leung, X.Y., Sun, J. and Bai, B. (2017), “Bibliome ics o social media esea ch: a co-ci a ion and co-
wo d analysis”,In e na ional Jou nal o Hospi ali y Managemen , Vol. 66, pp. 35-45.
Ma iano, A.M., Blanco G anado, R., Ma iano Filho, A and Ga ido-G ande Caballe o, M. (2012),
“Con ibuci
on de los en oques e
o icos en la c eaci
on de un modelo de desempe~
no de las
alianzas es a 
egica in e nacionales”,Cong esso In e nacional de Adminis aç~
ao-Ges ~
ao
Es a 
egica: Emp eendedo ismo e Sus en abilidade.
Melnychuk, T., Schul z, C. and Wi sich, A. (2021), “The e ec s o uni e si y-indus y collabo a ion in
p eclinical esea ch on pha maceu ical i ms’R&D pe o mance: abso p i e capaci y’s ole”,
Jou nal o P oduc Inno a ion Managemen , Vol. 38 No. 3, pp. 355-378.
Mon e o, J., Cobo, M.-J., Gu i
e ez, M., Segado, F. and He e a, E. (2018), “Mapeo cien 
ı ico de la
ca ego 
ıa comunicaci
on en WoS (1980-2013)5A science mapping analysis o communica ion
WoS subjec ca ego y (1980-2013)”,Comunica , Vol. 55 No. XXVI, pp. 81-91.
Na, C., Lee, D., Hwang, J. and Lee, C. (2021), “S a egic g oups eme ged by selec ing R&D collabo a ion
pa ne s and i ms’e iciency”,Asian Jou nal o Technology Inno a ion, Vol. 29 No. 1,
pp. 109-133.
Palome as, N. and Weh heim, D. (2021), “The s a egic alloca ion o in en o s o R&D collabo a ions”,
S a egic Managemen Jou nal, Vol. 42 No. 1, pp. 144-169.
Pammolli, F., Riccaboni, M. and Spel a, A. (2021), “The ne wo k o igins o Schumpe e ian inno a ion”,
Jou nal o E olu iona y Economics, Vol. 31, pp. 1411-1431.
Paul, J. and Rosado-Se ano, A. (2019), “G adual in e na ionaliza ion s bo n-global/in e na ional new
en u e models: a e iew and esea ch agenda”,In e na ional Ma ke ing Re iew, Vol. 36 No. 6,
pp. 830-858.
Ramos-Rod 
ıguez, A.-R. and Ru
ız-Na a o, J. (2004), “Changes in he in ellec ual s uc u e o s a egic
managemen esea ch: a bibliome ic s udy o he S a egic Managemen Jou nal, 1980-2000”,
S a egic Managemen Jou nal, Vol. 25 No. 10, pp. 981-1004.
Reue , J.J. and A i~
no, A. (2002), “Con ac ual enego ia ions in s a egic alliances”,Jou nal o
Managemen , Vol. 28 No. 1, pp. 47-68.
Robinson, D.T. and S ua , T.E. (2007), “Financial con ac ing in bio ech s a egic alliances”,Jou nal o
Law and Economics, Vol. 50 No. 3, pp. 559-595.
Rod 
ıguez-Ruiz, F., Almod
o a , P. and Nguyen, Q.T. (2019), “In ellec ual s uc u e o in e na ional new
en u e esea ch”,Mul ina ional Business Re iew, Vol. 27 No. 4, pp. 285-316.
Sege s, J.-P. (2015), “The in e play be ween new echnology based i ms, s a egic alliances and open
inno a ion, wi hin a egional sys ems o inno a ion con ex . The case o he bio echnology
clus e in Belgium”,Jou nal o Global En ep eneu ship Resea ch, Vol. 5 No. 16, pp. 1-17.
Shkolnyko a, M. and Kudic, M. (2022), “Who bene i s om SMEs’ adical inno a ions? Empi ical
e idence om Ge man bio echnology”,Small Business Economics, Vol. 58, pp. 1157-1185.
Spie h, P., Laudien, S.M. and Meissne , S. (2021), “Business model inno a ion in s a egic alliances:
a mul i-laye pe spec i e”,R & D Managemen , Vol. 51 No. 1, pp. 24-39.
Sub amanian, A.M., Bo, W. and Kah-Hin, C. (2018), “The ole o knowledge base homogenei y in
lea ning om s a egic alliances”,Resea ch Policy, Vol. 47 No. 1, pp. 158-168.
Teece, D.J. (1982), “Towa ds an economic heo y o he mul ip oduc i m”,Jou nal o Economic
Beha io and O ganiza ion, Vol. 3 No. 1, pp. 39-63.
Thomas, H., Ramana han, K. and Se h, A. (1997), “Explo ing join en u es: al e na i e heo e ical
pe spec i es”,Coope a i e S a egies: No h Ame ican Pe spec i es, New Lexing on P ess, San
F ancisco, pp. 51-89.
S a egic
alliances in he
bio echnology
indus y
261
Tode a, E. and Knoke, D. (2005), “S a egic alliances and models o collabo a ion”,Managemen
Decision, Vol. 43 No. 1, pp. 123-148.
Vedel, J.B. (2021), “Balancing con lic ing goals in in e o ganiza ional collabo a ions in he
pha maceu ical indus y: a con ac ual dynamics iew”,Eu opean Managemen Re iew,
Vol. 18 No. 1, pp. 71-83.
Vlaisa lje ic, V., Gopalak ishnan, S., Zhang, H., Cabello-Medina, C. and Guilbaul , M. (2021), “Dancing
wi h wol es: how R&D human capi al can bene i om coope i ion”,R&D Managemen ,Vol.52
No. 3, pp. 449-464.
We ne el , B. (1984), “A esou ce-based iew o he i m”,S a egic Managemen Jou nal, Vol. 5 No. 2,
pp. 171-180.
Williamson, O.E. (1975), Ma ke s and Hie a chies, F ee P ess, New Yo k.
Williamson, O.E. (1979), “T ansac ion-cos economics: he go e nance o con ac ual ela ions”,
Jou nal o Law and Economics, Vol. 22 No. 2, pp. 233-261.
Williamson, O.E. (1991), “Compa a i e economic o ganiza ion: he analysis o disc e e s uc u al
al e na i es”,Adminis a i e Science Qua e ly, Vol. 36 No. 2, pp. 269-296.
Xu, Z., Wang, X., Wang, X. and Ska e, M. (2021), “A comp ehensi e bibliome ic analysis o
en ep eneu ship and c isis li e a u e published om 1984 o 2020”,Jou nal o Business
Resea ch, Vol. 135, pp. 304-318.
Yasuda, H. (2005), “Fo ma ion o s a egic alliances in high- echnology indus ies: compa a i e s udy
o he esou ce-based heo y and he ansac ion-cos heo y”,Techno a ion, Vol. 25 No. 7, pp.
763-770.
Zhang, Y., Xu, S., Zhang, L. and Yang, M. (2021), “The impo ance o alliances in i m capi al s uc u e
decisions: e idence om bio echnology i ms”,Jou nal o Business Resea ch, Vol. 133, pp. 34-50.
Co esponding au ho
Ma isol Ca ajal-Campe os can be con ac ed a : [email p o ec ed]
Fo ins uc ions on how o o de ep in s o his a icle, please isi ou websi e:
www.eme aldg ouppublishing.com/licensing/ ep in s.h m
O con ac us o u he de ails: [email p o ec ed]
EJMBE
34,2
262