Cross-border collaboration is essential for the EU to reach its vision of becoming "the most competitive and dynamic economy in the world, based on knowledge, capable of sustainable economic development with more and better jobs and a stronger social cohesion". According to UNCTAD, managers of top MNCs reported that 30% of their future foreign direct investments would be made through collaborative strategies. Of the world's top 100 MNCs, 59 are European, which puts a premium on studies of cross-border collaboration in a European context.The aim of the project is to investigate the impact of individuals, organizations and societies within the EU on cross-border strategic collaboration. Most existing research on cross-border strategic collaboration is conducted in the US and Canada, often with a heavy bias toward North American interests. This research project aims at establishing a European centre of excellence in cross-border collaboration by building on the Strategic Alliance Research Network (SARN), recently established by the applicant, in order to foster international research collaborations. Dr Bernhard Bo Nielsen proposes to return to Denmark and coordinate a research project at University of Southern Denmark (SDU), utilizing the knowledge, experiences and contacts he has gained in the US over the past seven years.The objective is to conduct cutting-edge, relevant research within the European context ,while working in close cooperation with colleagues in North America and the world at large.