Pain shared, pain halved? Cooperation as a coping strategy for innovation barriers

The paper analyses the relationship between the perception of barriers to innovation and the firm’s propensity to cooperate to mitigate their effect. First, we look at whether cooperation with research organizations or private firms is associated with experiencing different types of barriers, for example, financial constraints, lack of human capital or uncertain market demand. Second, we test whether experiencing several types of barriers simultaneously has a super-modular effect on the propensity to cooperate tout court, and the choice of cooperation partner. We find that having to face a single, specific constraint leads to firms ‘sharing the pain’ with cooperation partners—both research organization and other firms. However, the results of a super-modularity test show that having to cope with different barriers is a deterrent to establishing cooperation agreements, especially when firms lack finance, adequate skills and information on technology or markets. The paper adds to the innovation literature by identifying the factors associated with firms’ coping with different barriers by applying a selective cooperation strategy

Learning horizon and optimal alliance formation

We develop a theoretical Bayesian learning model to examine how a firm’s learning horizon, defined as the maximum distance in a network of alliances across which the firm learns from other firms, conditions its optimal number of direct alliance partners under technological uncertainty. We compare theoretical optima for a ‘close’ learning horizon, where a firm learns only from direct alliance partners, and a ‘distant’ learning horizon, where a firm learns both from direct and indirect alliance partners. Our theory implies that in high tech industries, a distant learning horizon allows a firm to substitute indirect for direct partners, while in low tech industries indirect partners complement direct partners. Moreover, in high tech industries, optimal alliance formation is less sensitive to changes in structural model parameters when a firm’s learning horizon is distant rather than close. Our contribution lies in offering a formal theory of the role of indirect partners in optimal alliance portfolio design that generates normative propositions amenable to future empirical refutation

Electrophile, Substrate Functionality, and Catalyst Effects in the Synthesis of α-Mono and Di-Substituted Benzylamines via Visible-Light Photoredox Catalysis in Flow

We report herein the facile and one-pot synthesis of α-mono- and di-substituted benzylamines from cheap and readily available α-amino acids, via photocatalytic decarboxylative arylation in flow. This enables to access intermediates and building blocks that are difficult to obtain via other synthetic routes, but are key for the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and fine chemicals. The optimal decarboxylative conditions were identified through a high-throughput evaluation of catalysts, organic or inorganic bases, ligands, and reaction parameters (i. e., contact time, temperatures, and photoelectron power). The reaction turned out to be electronically controlled as the yields increased with increasing electron-density on the aryl moiety. The results were correlated with the redox properties of the photocatalysts, deriving catalyst structure-performance relationships which can facilitate the future identification of even better materials. In addition, compared to traditional batch chemistry, the use of a flow protocol led to quicker reactions (30 min instead of 12–72 h) and ensured more predictable reaction scale-ups

How do firms develop capabilities for scientific disclosure?

Many profit-oriented companies publish research outcomes in scientific literature. However, very few studies have focused on the capabilities that enable firms to engage in scientific disclosure with consequent potential benefits for the firm. We propose that specific investments are required in order to engage in scientific disclosure activities, since the disclosure process requires distinctive capabilities. This paper empirically analyses the relationship between the composition of industrial research labs’ personnel, basic research and scientific disclosure capabilities. Our econometric analysis provides evidence that scientific disclosure requires specific human resource allocations, which supports the view that scientific disclosure is not just a by-product of standard R&D activities.status: publishe

Cooperation or competition in R&D when innovation and absorption are costly

This article analyzes cost-reducing R&D investments by firms that behave non-cooperatively or cooperatively. Firms face a trade-off between allocating their R&D investments to innovate or to imitate (absorb). We find that the non-cooperative behavior not only induces more imitation (absorption) but also, for the most part, more innovation investments. Only the cooperative behavior, however, ensures that R&D investments are allocated efficiently to innovation and to imitation (absorption) in the sense that any given amount of industry-wide cost reduction is obtained for the minimum overall R&D costs.Absorptive capacity, Cooperation, Spillovers, Innovation, Imitation, R&D,