Is the European R&D network homogenous? Distinguishing relevant network communities using graph theoretic and spatial interaction modeling approaches

This paper characterizes the geography of communities in the European research and development (R&D) network using data on R&D projects funded by the European Union's Fifth Framework Programme. Communities are sub-networks whose members are more tightly linked to one another than to other members of the network. The paper characterizes the communities by means of spatial interaction models, and estimates the impact of separation factors on the variation of cross-region collaboration activities in a given community at the level of 255 NUTS-2 regions. The results demonstrate that European R&D networks are not homogeneous, showing distinct, relevant substructures characterized by spatially heterogeneous community groups.