Activities and Outputs from SME and MNC Collaboration on R&I Projects Per J. Nesse 1,* and Kristoffer Opsahl 2 1 Telenor Research and Innovation and Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway 2 Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway E-mail: Per-jonny.nesse@telenor.com; post@opsl.no * Correspondng Author Received 08 July 2022; Accepted 01 May 2023; Publication 18 May 2023 Abstract The fifth generation (5G) of telecommunication systems is creating new business opportunities for many industry verticals. Managing the innovation process is risky and calls for collaboration with various ecosystem stakehold- ers to meet the demands of technology, business, and customers. This article investigates the activities and output of participation in collaborative research and innovation (R&I) activities for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Multi National Corporations (MNCs) and how they engage with such activities. A survey was conducted with a non-random sample of 42 respondents involved in R&I projects and further supplemented with three in-depth interviews of a subset of the survey respondents. Our key findings indicate that SMEs benefit from technology-related activities and access to decision makers in MNCs. Heavy-handed bureaucracy in projects is a friction point for SMEs, which prefer development speed over scheduled reports and deliverables. In contrast, MNCs benefit from business-related activities by Journal of NBICT, Vol. 1, 73–100. doi: 10.13052/nbjict1902-097X.2023.003 This is an Open Access publication © 2023 the Author(s). All rights reserved.