Unpacking the effects of R&D strategy proximity on inter-firm knowledge flow: evidence from the global 3D printing industry

The determinants of inter-organisational knowledge flow have shifted from bilateral and static factors to network and dynamic factors. Therefore, this paper aims to explore the impact mechanism of firms' dynamic behaviours on knowledge flow in a multiplex inter-firm strategy proximity network. The paper proposes a conceptual model to examine how the different research and development (R&D) dynamic strategies impact the inter-firm knowledge flow from a network-to-network lens, considering the moderating effect of the firm size heterogeneity. To test the hypotheses, we conducted an empirical study on 150 listed firms in the global 3D printing industry from 2005 to 2016 using multi-source heterogeneous data and Quadratic Assignment Procedure (QAP) regression model. Results show that the proximities of the R&D internationalisation strategy and R&D domain strategy are positively associated with the inter-firm knowledge flow. Firm size heterogeneity plays a moderating role, and these effects vary at different stages of industrialisation.