This study examines the role of trade and investment in technology transfer, the effects of competition in trade and investment on innovation, and economies of scale. It also examines global value chains as an organisational innovation in its own right, which is supported by a freer trade and investment environment. Keywords: innovation, multinational enterprises, MNEs, global value chains, technology transfer, competition, scale economies, licensing, intellectual property rights, TRIPs, absorption capacity, Doha Development Agenda.