This article aims to evaluate the influence of distance on the propensity of firms to establish international partnerships in R&D. The authors examine economic and managerial approaches of proximity and distance. Based on a sample of 1.502 cooperative agreements formed by European companies in the biotechnology industry, the empirical study confirms the relevance of combining several approaches of the concept of distance. The findings highlight that geographic, economic, administrative and technological distances play an important role, while cultural distance does not seem to influence the propensity to form partnerships.