  In this paper we show how the study of asymmetric R&D alliances, that are
those between young and small firms and large and MNEs firms for knowledge
exploration and/or exploitation, requires the adoption of a coopetitive
framework which consider both collaboration and competition. We draw upon the
literature on asymmetric R&D collaboration and coopetition to propose a
mathematical model for the coopetitive games which is particularly suitable for
exploring asymmetric R&D alliances.
