Science-industry R&D alliances have been a longstanding object of analysis in the literature as they are reinforced by the changing global economy and the fast-moving nature of technological research. In order to advance knowledge on how these alliances should be designed and managed, this paper examines whether the factors most valued by technology centres to engage in science-industry R&D alliances have an impact on the success of the alliance: planning, partner profile, trustworthiness, IPR protection issues and communication channels. The empirical application considers 58 technology centres located in the Spanish region of Catalonia from which data were collected. First, using factor analysis, we validate that items included in the survey are indeed grouped into the five factors identified in the literature review. Second, we use qualitative comparative analysis to explore which combination of factors best explains successful R&D alliances.