Next to Production or to Technological Clusters? The Economics and Management of R&D Location

This paper examines the relationship between the location of R&D and production activities. By using a sample of 799 Japanese investments in Europe, it distinguishes between affiliates performing only R&D, both R&D and production, and production only. The analysis produces two main results. First, R&D tends to locate near production activities. Interestingly, however, the higher the science-intensity of a sector, the less important is the linkage with production - i.e. the higher the number of only R&D labs. This is interpreted as the effect produced by more general and transferable scientific work, compared to applied work. Second, by performing a multinomial logit analysis, we show that R&D independent or linked to production are attracted by different local factors. Managerial and policy implications are also discussed.research and development ;

Networks of Inventors in the Chemical Industry

By using extremely detailed data on European chemical patents, this work focuses on the micro levelof research networks. It examines the networks of inventors for the development of innovations. Itstudies whether the firm or the geographical proximity among inventors influences the probability thatinventors collaborate, and the attributes of the outcome patents. The results suggest that the firm, andin particular the large multinational company is a good coordination mechanism for fostering suchcollaborations. As for geographical proximity, it matters when the inventors are localised in atechnological cluster.industrial organization ;

Inventors and the Geographical Breadth of Knowledge Soillovers

This paper studies the geographical breadth of knowledge spillovers. Previous research suggests that knowledge spillovers benefit from geographical proximity in technologically active and rich regions more than elsewhere. An alternative view explains the geographical breadth of knowledge spillovers as a function of the characteristics and personal networks of the individuals. We test these two competing theories by using information provided directly by the inventors of 6,750 European patents (PatVal-EU survey). Our results confirm the importance of inventors’ personal background. However, compared to previous research, we find that the level of education of the inventors is key in shaping the geographical breadth of knowledge spillovers. Highly educated inventors rely more on geographically wide research networks than their less educated peers. This holds after controlling for the mobility of the inventors and for the scientific nature of the research performed. Differently, location matters only in the very rare regions in Europe that perform the bulk of the research in the specific discipline of the inventors.

Inventors and the Geographical Breadth of Knowledge Spillovers

This paper studies the geographical breadth of knowledge spillovers. Previous research suggests that knowledge spillovers benefit from geographical proximity in technologically active and rich regions more than elsewhere. An alternative view explains the geographical breadth of knowledge spillovers as a function of the characteristics and personal networks of the individuals. We test these two competing theories by using information provided directly by the inventors of 6,750 European patents (PatVal-EU survey). Our results confirm the importance of inventors' personal background. However, compared to previous research, we find that the level of education of the inventors is key in shaping the geographical breadth of knowledge spillovers. Highly educated inventors rely more on geographically wide research networks than their less educated peers. This holds after controlling for the mobility of the inventors and for the scientific nature of the research performed. Differently, location matters only in the very rare regions in Europe that perform the bulk of the research in the specific discipline of the inventors.

Inventors and the Geographical Breadth of Knowledge Spillovers

This paper studies the geographical breadth of knowledge spillovers. Previous research suggests that knowledge spillovers benefit from geographical proximity in technologically active and rich regions more than elsewhere. An alternative view explains the geographical breadth of knowledge spillovers as a function of the characteristics and personal networks of the individuals. We test these two competing theories by using information provided directly by the inventors of 6,750 European patents (PatVal-EU survey). Our results confirm the importance of inventors' personal background. However, compared to previous research, we find that the level of education of the inventors is key in shaping the geographical breadth of knowledge spillovers. Highly educated inventors rely more on geographically wide research networks than their less educated peers. This holds after controlling for the mobility of the inventors and for the scientific nature of the research performed. Differently, location matters only in the very rare regions in Europe that perform the bulk of the research in the specific discipline of the inventors.education/geography/inventors/knowledge spillovers/patents

"Stacking" or "Picking" Patents? The Inventors' Choice Between Quantity and Quality

This paper studies the determinants of the quantity and quality of inventors’ patents. It uses a sample of 793 inventors drawn from the PatVal-EU dataset and the information on EPO patents that they contributed to inventing during the period 1988-1998. It explores three aspects of the inventors’ productivity: 1) the number of EPO patents that they produce; 2) their average quality; 3) the quality of the most valuable patents. By jointly estimating the three equations we find that the inventors’ level of education, employment in a large firm and involvement in large-scale research projects positively affect quantity. Yet, apart from the size of the research project, none of these factors directly influences the expected quality of the innovations. They do, however, indirectly, as we find that the number of innovations explains the probability of producing a technological hit (the maximum value). Also, there are no decreasing returns in the innovation process at an individual level, as the number of innovations that an inventor produces is not correlated with their average quality.Productivity, Industrial inventors, Patent quality

Technological Diversification and Strategic Alliances

This paper examines empirically the relationship between the internal technological profile and the diversification through strategic alliances of the largest 219 industrial firms world-wide. It explores three related issues. First, the paper shows that firms? internal technological diversification is more pronounced than external technological diversification. Second, it confirms the idea that technological diversification is more pronounced than product and market diversification. Finally, by means of multiple correlation analysis, this work studies the relationship between firms? economic performance, internal technological diversification and diversification through strategic alliances. The empirical investigation combines firm level data on US patents, strategic technological alliances, production and marketing alliances, and firms? economic performances.-

How Provincial is your Region? Effects on Labour Productivity and Employment in Europe

This paper estimates the determinants of labour productivity and employment in European NUTS2 regions. We focus on technological capabilities (proxied by regional patents), agglomeration economies (employment density), and openness, proxied by the number of airplane passengers embarked and disembarked in the region. We employ 1989-1996 data drawn from the Eurostat REGIO data base. By using instrumental variables, we confirm existing results in the literature that patents and employment density affect labour productivity. Our novel finding is that openness affects labour productivity as well. This suggests that regional advantages also stem from the ability of the regions to connect to the world that is outside them, and not just on internal factors like local infrastructures, local networks, etc.. In addition, we find that technological capabilities affect employment, while the effect of agglomeration economies and openness on the latter is less marked. Thus, technology seems to be the crucial variable for a thorough regional development. Agglomeration economies and openness benefit mostly those who are already employed, as it implies increases in their incomes with limited increases in employment.-

The Chemical Sector al System. Firms, markets, institutions and the processes of knowledge creation and diffusion

According to the Sectoral Systems of Innovation and Production approach, the analysis of a specific sector has to describe its knowledge and technological base, existing complementarities among knowledge, technologies and products, the heterogeneity of agents, their learning processes and competencies, the role of non-firm organisations, and the presence of (co)evolutionary processes. This study applies this theoretical framework to the chemical industry, and examines evolution and co-evolution processes that have characterised this industry over its 200 years history. It emerges a strong dichotomy in industry dynamics. On the one hand, big discontinuities can be observed in knowledge and technological dimensions, which implied a major change in industry structure and a growing division of labour at the industry level. On the other hand, a big continuity can be observed as well, mainly in companies life. Indeed, one important feature of the chemical industry is that between small and large companies, markets, research institutions and other organisations there has been a continuous process of co-evolution, with firms playing the central role within the chemical system.Chemical Industry, Industry Dynamics, Networks, Markets for Technology, Division of Innovative Labour, Networks of Inventors, Patents, Technology Licensing.