On the R&D giants' shoulders: Do FDI help to stand on them?

The paper investigates the extent to which outward FDI affect the MNC's capacity of entering (and remaining in) the club of top R&D world investors, benefiting from performance gains in both financial and economic markets. By merging the European Industrial Research and Innovation Scoreboard with the fDi Markets dataset, we find supporting evidence. Increasing the number of FDI projects helps firms overcome the discontinuities that, in the distribution of R&D expenditures, separate the group of the largest world R&D investors from the top of them. The same is true for the number of FDI projects in R&D, which are also more important than greater FDI portfolios in becoming a top R&D spender. Furthermore, unlike FDI in general, more FDI in R&D guarantee firms to remain in this top club of firms as it increases their capacity of resisting competition for a place among the top R&D spenders. Results at the extensive margin (i.e. the number of FDI projects) are confirmed with respect to the scale of FDI projects (i.e. at the intensive margin). However, increasing their size is not enough to become one of the highest ranking R&D firms. Policy implications about the support to R&D internationalisation are drawn accordingly.JRC.J.2-Knowledge for Growt

On the R&D giants' shoulders: do FDI help to stand on them?

The paper investigates the extent to which outward FDI affect the MNC's capacity of entering (and remaining in) the club of top R&D world investors, benefiting from performance gains in both financial and economic markets. By merging the European Industrial Research and Innovation Scoreboard with the fDi Markets dataset, we find supporting evidence. Increasing the number of FDI projects helps firms overcome the discontinuities that, in the distribution of R&D expenditures, separate the group of the largest world R&D investors from the top of them. The same is true for the number of FDI projects in R&D, which are also more important than greater FDI portfolios in becoming a top R&D spender. Furthermore, unlike FDI in general, more FDI in R&D guarantee firms to remain in this top club of firms as it increases their capacity of resisting competition for a place among the top R&D spenders. Results at the extensive margin (i.e. the number of FDI projects) are confirmed with respect to the scale of FDI projects (i.e. at the intensive margin). However, increasing their size is not enough to become one of the highest ranking R&D firms. Policy implications about the support to R&D internationalisation are drawn accordingly

How do companies ‘perceive’ their intangibles? New statistical evidence from the INNOBAROMETER 2013

The report provides a statistical analysis of the way European companies have shown to perceive their Intangibles in the recent Innobarometer-2013. The report is intended to complement the evidence presented in the FLASH EUROBAROMETER 369 (“Investing in Intangibles”) with a deeper investigation of both the characteristics of the available micro-data and the regularities emerging from their statistical analysis. A special focus is placed on the extent to which companies perceive their intangibles as strategic and on that to which the relative investments interplay with their innovative projects. The role of context conditions vs. that of business incentives in motivating their intangible investments is also addressed.JRC.J.2-Knowledge for Growt

Preventive chemotherapy for schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis by cotreatment with praziquantel and albendazole

In disease-endemic areas, preventive chemotherapy with two orally administered anthelminthic drugs, praziquantel and albendazole, forms the foundation of control of schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis. Where diseases overlap, these two drugs are typically co-administered simultaneously, although albendazole is often interchangeable with mebendazole. With a supportive pharmaceutical industry that donates drugs and a strong international partnership that mobilizes donor funds for drug delivery, scale-up of treatment in school-aged children has expanded significantly in line with the WHO 2012–2020 strategic plan. Other high-risk groups, such as pre-school-aged children, are now benefiting from deworming campaigns conducted alongside other childhood interventions,such as vaccination, less so, however, for schistosomiasis as infections in this age class are not being treated. Looking to the future, maintaining an effective drug distribution and reporting system that regularly checks anthelminthic performance alongside documenting improvements in child health are essential for the long-term success of preventive chemotherapy with praziquantel and albendazole

The patenting activity of the top IRI Scoreboard Companies: an introductory note

The present note contains an explorative and introductory analysis of the patenting activity exhibited by the top 100 companies of the IRI Scoreboard, and intends to identify strengths and weaknesses for its possible future extension to the whole Scoreboard. With respect to these companies, patent data are drawn from Patstat, on the basis of which patent families are built up, and crossed with other data on their R&D investments. Both the R&D and the patent applications of the investigated sample of companies increase over time. At the same time, important sector specificities in the R&D-patent relationship have been found. The analysis of the technological competences of the overall sample yields promising results. A first examination of the IPC classes of the patent applications suggests a certain concentration in the kind of technological knowledge that companies master. The analysis of the knowledge base and, more specifically, the companies' involvement in the creation of key enabling technologies (KETs) also highlights that important sector specificities go along with firm specific factors. All-in-all “augmenting” the Scoreboard data with company level patent information appears to be an interesting extension to be pursued.JRC.J.2-Knowledge for Growt

Estimated need for anthelminthic medicines to control soil-transmitted helminthiases in school-aged children, 2020-2030

Soil-transmitted helminthiases (STH) are part of the group of neglected tropical diseases traditionally treated with preventive chemotherapy interventions. In recent years, drug donations have been essential to expanding preventive chemotherapy and achieving progressive control of morbidity from STH. This study aims to evaluate the need for anthelminthic medicines during 2020-2030.; To estimate the need for anthelminthic medicines, we considered three different scenarios: (1) the control programmes continues to expand coverage and maintains the frequency of drug administration established at baseline; (2) the programmes continues to expand coverage but adapts the frequency of drug administration when the STH prevalence is reduced and (3) the STH programme becomes self-sustainable in some endemic countries.; We estimate that the number of anthelmintic medicines needed to treat school-aged children will increase by 40% by 2025 and by 52% by 2030 if countries do not change the frequency of preventive chemotherapy (scenario 1); that the number of tablets needed will reduce by 32.4% by 2025 and by 49.1% in 2030 if endemic countries reduce the frequency of preventive chemotherapy (scenario 2); and drug donations could be reduced by 54.4% by 2025 and 74.4% by 2030 if some endemic countries could become independent in drug procurement (scenario 3).; The number of anthelmintic medicines needed to achieve elimination of morbidity due to STH in school-aged children will decline during 2020-2030. The decline will be substantial if a number of "upper-middle income" countries in which STH are endemic procure, as expected, anthelminthic medicines independently

Financing R&D and Innovation for Corporate Growth: What new evidence should policy-makers know?

The Policy Brief addresses the results of a recent European Conference on the Financing R&D and Innovation (CONCORDi-2013: http://iri.jrc.ec.europa.eu/concord/2013/index.html). It presents recent empirical evidence on the topic and attempts to draw a number of policy-relevant messages to be brought to the attention of policymakers, as well as open questions requiring further research to address policy needs. This document provides state-of-the-art evidence and the most recent value-added results, summarised as follows: a) Financial constraints are important obstacles to R&D and innovation in EU firms, and the importance of these obstacles depend on factors that are both internal and external to firms. b) The reduction of information asymmetries can considerably lower the barriers to access financial resources for corporate R&D and innovation activities. c) Among external financial instruments, bank loans are the least attractive, while venture capital is (still) considered suitable for financing R&D and innovation projects, although they have a too short a time horizon to yield returns. Crowdfunding has been identified as a new emerging financial instrument. d) Policy remedies to financial shortages and barriers are not affected by crowding-out, but their additionality is very sensitive and not yet systematic. Public venture capital and public use of crowdfunding are issues to be further investigated. e) The great heterogeneity of companies and framework conditions across countries and regions calls for better analyses and monitoring of instruments. f) Both scientists and policymakers participating to CONCORDi-2013 called for establishing a stronger network of R&D and innovation policy evaluators to support the proper implementation of the upcoming European financial support instruments agreed for the period 2014-2020.JRC.J.2-Knowledge for Growt

Feasibility of controlling hookworm infection through preventive chemotherapy: a simulation study using the individual-based WORMSIM modelling framework

Background: Globally, hookworms infect 440 million people in developing countries. Especially children and women of childbearing age are at risk of developing anaemia as a result of infection. To control hookworm infection and disease (i.e. reduce the prevalence of medium and heavy infection to <1 %), the World Health Organization has set the target to provide annual or semi-annual preventive chemotherapy (PC) with albendazole (ALB) or mebendazole (MEB) to at least 75 % of all children and women of childbearing age in endemic areas by 2020. Here, we predict the feasibility of achieving <1 % prevalence of medium and heavy infection, based on simulations with an individual-based model. Methods: We developed WORMSIM, a new generalized individual-based modelling framework for transmission and control of helminths, and quantified it for hookworm transmission based on published data. We simulated the impact of standard and more intense PC strategies on trends in hookworm infection, and explored the potential additional impact of interventions that improve access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). The individual-based framework allowed us to take account of inter-individual heterogeneities in exposure and contribution to transmission of infection, as well as in participation in successive PC rounds. Results: We predict that in low and medium endemic areas, current PC strategies (including targeting of WCBA) will achieve control of hookworm infection (i.e. the parasitological target) within 2 years. In highly endemic areas, control can be achieved with semi-annual PC with ALB at 90 % coverage, combined with interventions that reduce host contributions to the environmental reservoir of infection by 50 %. More intense PC strategies (high frequency and coverage) can help speed up control of hookworm infection, and may be necessary in some extremely highly endemic settings, but are not a panacea against systematic non-participation to PC. Conclusions: Control of hookworm infection by 2020 is feasible with current PC strategies (including targeting of WCBA). In highly endemic areas, PC should be combined with health education and/or WASH interventions