Nina's main research focus lies in the field of coopetition (simultaneous collaboration and competition) for innovation. Coopetition is a particular type of strategic alliance, which differs from other forms of collaboration, as it entails substantial tensions between joint value creation (as partners) and individual value capture (as competitors).
Within the coopetition context, Nina specifically investigates the role of formal (patents, copyrights, trademarks, design rights) as well as informal (secrecy, complexity, short lead-times) mechanisms to protect intellectual property. She aims to understand whether using such mechanisms is beneficial for firms' coopetition success, or whether it might be harmful. Besides, Nina also studies coopetition at a portfolio level, acknowledging that firms usually collaborate with a variety of partners rather than only one specific type. By using a qualitative comparative analysis, Nina is able to assess whether there are complementarities or sub-additivities between different partner types and consequently whether there are certain coopetitive portfolio configurations that are more beneficial for a firm's innovation performance than others.
