Despite more than a decade of hype around the concept of talent management, we still have a relatively limited knowledge regarding its application in practice. In this paper we examine how the concepts of talent management apply in research and development (R&D) settings. Two case studies of high-technology R&D groups are conducted. We adopt a novel approach and apply social network analysis (SNA) techniques to explore if the technological gatekeeper still represents a pivotal position in R&D settings. The specific talents exhibited by these individuals are then explored and we point to some organizational level interventions which can facilitate R&D organizations in fully exploiting their resources to maximize innovative capabilities.