One of the characteristics of the U.S. economy is its openness to foreign investment and foreign imports. Such openness fosters vigorous competition within the U.S. marketplace as foreign-owned companies and foreign imports compete with U.S. companies and products. It also encourages collaboration between foreign companies and individuals and their American counterparts in the cases of foreign-owned firms, joint ventures, and joint research and development. By the 1990s, more foreign firms pursued collaboration with U.S. universities in research and development. More than 50 percent of Japanese firms in the United States participated in such collaborative efforts. More than 75 percent of German companies and more than 80 percent of French companies in the United States initiated or participated in such efforts. Since 1977, more than 80 percent of the gross product of U.S. businesses in which there is direct foreign investment comes from seven major investing countries: Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Japan has invested in real estate and accommodation and food services industry in Hawaii. Other states with high foreign investment are Delaware, South Carolina, and New Hampshire. In Delaware, the foreign investment-related share of manufacturing sector jobs reached 25 percent, the highest percentage in the nation.