This article examines the development of corporate
research and development (R&D) in the automotive
industry of East-Central Europe (ECE) in the context
of the internationalization of corporate R&D generally
and the automotive industry R&D specifically.
Driven by large inflows of foreign direct investment
since the early 1990s, vehicle assembly and the production
of automotive components grew significantly
in ECE. Inmy study I investigated the extent to which
these increases in production have also led to the
development of automotive R&D as an example of a
higher value-added function of the automotive value
chain. I conducted a more detailed analysis of Czech
automotive R&D because of its prominent position in
ECE. Despite modest growth, my analysis uncovered
inherent weaknesses of automotive R&D in ECE and
strong barriers to its future development related to its
peripheral position in the European and global automotive
production