R&D planning capabilities and performance: Korean government-funded research institutes

Purpose Research and development (R&D) is becoming more essential to achieving innovation in the field of science and technology and enhancing national competitiveness. Since innovative R&D carries significant risks, it is important that investments be efficient and effective and appropriate planning can influence these outcomes. This study aims to empirically examine how organizational professionalism and proactivity – two key components of R&D planning capabilities – affect the performance of research institutions. Design/methodology/approach The study employs a quantile regression analysis to explore the effects of organizational professionalism and proactivity on both quantitative and qualitative R&D performance. Findings Intra-institutional organizational professionalism broadly enhances performance across all quantiles. In contrast, organizational professionalism developed through inter-institutional collaboration reduces quantitative outcomes but boosts qualitative ones. Proactivity was found to be significantly more effective within the upper quantile. Originality/value This study fills a theoretical gap by exploring the relatively underexamined impact of organizational professionalism and proactivity of R&D planning on performance. Through the development of the new empirical framework using measurable indicators, it offers a more systematic and evidence-based understanding of how these factors shape R&D outcomes in research organizations.