A significant proportion of business sector R&D, estimated today at around 18%, is performed outside the company, some by other companies, some by public research. With the R&D investment of European companies exceeding €100 billion, the payback from even small improvements in the efficiency of the outsourcing process is clear. Responsible Partnering offers the prospect of large improvements. More important, it offers the prospect of greater effectiveness: the possibility to create more value from the investment.

Effective collaboration between industry and research is vital to the more open forms of innovation that will be necessary to maintain the competitiveness of Europe. The 2009 publication "Innovation: Building a Successful Future for Europe" by BusinessEurope includes the recommendation "Promote the principles of Responsible Partnering in EU projects on public-private partnerships.