The aim of this paper is to analyse the impacts of R&D cooperation and obstacles to technological innovation on the innovation failure of the Korean manufacturing firms. Two hierarchical regression models including interaction variables are employed for the analysis. Some interesting findings are: first, almost all the obstacles have positive and significant effects on the failure. Second, R&D cooperation positively or negatively moderates the impact of obstacles to technological innovation on the innovation failure, although R&D cooperation itself is not directly related to the failure. Third, the interaction effects between the cooperation and the obstacles influence the failure in various manners. This study is expected to help manufacturing firms which are under unfavourable environments to formulate their cooperation strategies successfully based on what they learn from the failure.