What type of innovative firms acquire knowledge intensive services and from which suppliers?

Knowledge intensive services (KIS) and, in particular, R&D services contribute significantly to innovation in firms. The objective of this paper is to find out which characteristics of firms explain the acquisition of R&D services and to analyse whether there are differences depending on the typology of the supplier (universities, technology centres and consulting firms). Three main conclusions emerge from the econometric estimations. Firstly, the results show that size and age matter in the decision to buy R&D services, but these characteristics of firms do not have any particular influence in the decision to choose a specific supplier. Secondly, our results are consistent with the relevance that the literature gives to human capital in absorbing external knowledge. The variables used to control for human skills have a positive effect on the decision to buy R&D services. On the contrary, the estimates of other variables that capture internal knowledge base suggest that there is a substitution process between internal R&D activities and acquiring R&D services. Thirdly, innovation policy has a significant influence on the decision to acquire R&D services.Knowledge intensive services; R&D services; universities; technology centres; consulting firms; innovation policy

Which firms want PhDs? The effect of the university-industry relationship on the PhD labour market

PhD graduates hold the highest education degree, are trained to conduct research and can be considered a key element in the creation, commercialization and diffusion of innovations. The impact of PhDs on innovation and economic development takes place through several channels such as the accumulation of scientific capital stock, the enhancement of technology transfers and the promotion of cooperation relationships in innovation processes. Although the placement of PhDs in industry provides a very important mechanism for transmitting knowledge from universities to firms, information about the characteristics of the firms that employ PhDs is very scarce. The goal of this paper is to improve understanding of the determinants of the demand for PhDs in the private sector. Three main potential determinants of the demand for PhDs are considered: cooperation between firms and universities, R&D activities of firms and several characteristics of firms, size, sector, productivity and age. The results from the econometric analysis show that cooperation between firms and universities encourages firms to recruit PhDs and point to the existence of accumulative effects in the hiring of PhD graduates.

Transferencia de conocimiento e intermediarios de innovación

[ES] El objetivo de este artículo es analizar el papel que desempeñan los intermediarios de innovación en la transferencia de conocimiento. Estos intermediarios facilitan la colaboración entre organizaciones no académicas y la actividad investigadora. Los resultados del sistema español de innovación en materia de transferencia de conocimiento son muy pobres, tanto si se mide en términos del volumen de I+D facturado como en licencias de patentes. Una de las causas de esta debilidad reside en la ineficiencia de algunos de los instrumentos de interfaz en su función de enlace e intermediación. De forma específica, el artículo realiza un análisis y valoración, con propuestas de mejora, de dos de estos organismos intermedios: los centros tecnológicos y las oficinas de transferencia de los resultados de investigación.[EN] The aim of this article is to analyse the role played by innovation intermediaries in knowledge transfer. These intermediaries facilitate collaboration between non-academic organizations and research activity. The results of the Spanish innovation system in terms of knowledge transfer are very poor, whether they are measured in terms of the volume of R&D provided to third parties or in terms of patent licenses. One of the causes of this weakness lies in the inefficiency of some of the intermediation instruments in their link and interconnection role. Specifically, the article analyses and assesses two of these intermediate organisms, namely technology centres and the research results transfer offices, providing some suggestions for improvementMas Verdú, F. (2021). Transferencia de conocimiento e intermediarios de innovación. Papeles de Economía Española. 104-118. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/186212S10411

Intended Ties with Local Institutions as a Factor in Innovation: An Application to Spanish Manufacturing Firms

In this paper we seek to check for a number of interactions between firms and external environment. We aim to contribute to the discussion on the role of the regional environment in a firm’s innovation performance. We test the statistical significance of a number of particular interactions between institutions and firm innovation. In particular, we have hypothesized the association between trade and professional institutions, technological centers, and cooperation arrangements and innovation. In contrast with existing studies, we have provided empirical evidence of the impact of external factors on individual firm

Transferencia de conocimiento. Del modelo transaccional al relacional

Este artículo pretende hacer un balance sintético de algunas de las lecciones principales que se derivan de la floreciente literatura de los últimos años de estudios sobre la trasferencia de conocimiento y, especialmente, sobre las relaciones universidad-empresa, dada la relevancia que está adquiriendo el debate sobre el papel de la universidad en el desarrollo económico. El texto se organiza de la siguiente forma. Tras una introducción, el apartado 2 está destinado al análisis de los vínculos de cooperación entre universidad y empresa, con un especial acento en el estudio de los canales relacionales para la transferencia de conocimiento. El apartado 3 examina el papel de los centros tecnológicos en la transferencia de conocimiento. El artículo finaliza con un apartado de conclusione

What firms don’t know can hurt them: Overcoming a lack of information on technology

The availability of information on technology is a key factor in the innovation process. Firms that lack such information thereby face a major barrier to innovation. Yet little is known about the types of companies that lack this information. This paper examines what characterises firms that lack information on technology and analyses how innovative companies can overcome this gap in their knowledge. Empirical analysis was conducted with the Panel of Technological Innovation (PITEC), based on the information from the Spanish version of the Community Innovation Survey (CIS). The analysis leads to three principal conclusions. First, a large number of firms perceive the lack of information on technology as a barrier to innovation. Second, there are notable sector differences in the way firms perceive this barrier: High-tech firms perceive lower levels of this barrier. Third, not all sources of information on technology are equally effective at overcoming this barrier. The most useful sources are consultants, commercial laboratories and private R&D institutes

What type of innovative firms acquire knowledge intensive services and from which suppliers?

Knowledge intensive services (KIS) and, in particular, R&D services contribute significantly to innovation in firms. The objective of this paper is to find out which characteristics of firms explain the acquisition of R&D services and to analyse whether there are differences depending on the typology of the supplier (universities, technology centres and consulting firms). Three main conclusions emerge from the econometric estimations. Firstly, the results show that size and age matter in the decision to buy R&D services, but these characteristics of firms do not have any particular influence in the decision to choose a specific supplier. Secondly, our results are consistent with the relevance that the literature gives to human capital in absorbing external knowledge. The variables used to control for human skills have a positive effect on the decision to buy R&D services. On the contrary, the estimates of other variables that capture internal knowledge base suggest that there is a substitution process between internal R&D activities and acquiring R&D services. Thirdly, innovation policy has a significant influence on the decision to acquire R&D services

Firm survival: The role of incubators and business characteristics

This paper analyzes the impact of business incubators on firm survival. Using a configurational comparative method, namely fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), the article also examines whether degree of business innovation, size, sector, and export activity affects firm survival. Results show that, when combined with other variables (i.e. sector, technology), business size is a sufficient condition for firm survival. Likewise, incubators alone cannot affect survival. A combination between incubators and other factors is necessary to ensure firm survival.Mas Verdú, F.; Ribeiro Soriano, D.; Roig Tierno, H. (2015). Firm survival: The role of incubators and business characteristics. Journal of Business Research. 68(4):793-796. doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2014.11.030S79379668

Gaining or losing PhDs: What are the effects on firms' linkages with universities?

PhD graduates can help companies transfer knowledge from universities to firms. Scholars have analysed the determinants of PhD recruitment by firms and its effects on their innovation activities. However, little is known about what happens when a firm loses employees with PhDs. The aim of this paper is to compare the effects on the relationships of firms with universities when these firms lose PhDs versus when they hire PhDs to work in RΔ These effects may be symmetrical or non-symmetrical depending on the abilities of firms to retain the connections and knowledge acquired by hiring PhDs. We consider four types of relationships: collaboration with universities, universities as a source of innovation, academic journals as a source of innovation and the purchase of R&D services from universities. We use data from the Spanish Technological Innovation Panel (PITEC) for the period 2006 to 2015. The results illustrate the central role of PhDs in the linkages between industry and academia. The recruitment of PhDs has a positive effect on collaboration between firms and universities and on the purchase of R&D services from universities. By contrast, the loss of PhDs has a negative effect on collaboration with universities but not on the acquisition of R

Which firms want PhDs? The effect of the university-industry relationship on the PhD labour market

PhD graduates hold the highest education degree, are trained to conduct research and can be considered a key element in the creation, commercialization and diffusion of innovations. The impact of PhDs on innovation and economic development takes place through several channels such as the accumulation of scientific capital stock, the enhancement of technology transfers and the promotion of cooperation relationships in innovation processes. Although the placement of PhDs in industry provides a very important mechanism for transmitting knowledge from universities to firms, information about the characteristics of the firms that employ PhDs is very scarce. The goal of this paper is to improve understanding of the determinants of the demand for PhDs in the private sector. Three main potential determinants of the demand for PhDs are considered: cooperation between firms and universities, R&D activities of firms and several characteristics of firms, size, sector, productivity and age. The results from the econometric analysis show that cooperation between firms and universities encourages firms to recruit PhDs and point to the existence of accumulative effects in the hiring of PhD graduates