Technological collaboration : bridging the innovation gap between small and large firms.

This paper analyses technological collaboration as an input to the innovation processes of SMEs. Technological collaboration may be a useful mechanism to offset some of the weaknesses in SMEs resource endowments and bring their innovation capabilities closer to that of their large counterparts. The results, based on a large longitudinal sample of Spanish manufacturing firms, show that technological collaboration is a critical factor in improving the capabilities and innovativeness of SMEs. While a general bridging of the gap between the innovativeness of SMEs and large firms was observed, the most significant advance was in product rather than process innovations.

The importance of diverse collaborative networks for the novelty of product innovation.

Competition today is driving firms to introduce products with a higher degree of novelty. Consequently, there is a growing need to understand the critical success factors behind more novel product innovations. This paper theoretically and empirically analyzes the role of different types of collaborative networks in achieving product innovations and their degree of novelty. Using data from a longitudinal sample of Spanish manufacturing firms, our results show that technological collaborative networks are of crucial importance in achieving a higher degree of novelty in product innovation. Continuity of collaboration and the composition of the collaborative network are highly significant dimensions. Collaboration with suppliers, clients and research organizations in this order have a positive impact on the novelty of innovation, while collaboration with competitors has a negative impact. The greatest positive impact on the degree of innovation novelty comes from collaborative networks comprising different types of partnersProduct innovation; Degree of novelty; Collaborative networks; Technological partner; Spain;

Technological collaboration : bridging the innovation gap between small and large firms

This paper analyses technological collaboration as an input to the innovation processes of SMEs. Technological collaboration may be a useful mechanism to offset some of the weaknesses in SMEs resource endowments and bring their innovation capabilities closer to that of their large counterparts. The results, based on a large longitudinal sample of Spanish manufacturing firms, show that technological collaboration is a critical factor in improving the capabilities and innovativeness of SMEs. While a general bridging of the gap between the innovativeness of SMEs and large firms was observed, the most significant advance was in product rather than process innovations

Novelty of product innovation : the role of different networks

In the current competitive scenario, firms are driven to introduce products with a higher degree of novelty. Consequently, there is a growing need to understand the critical success factors behind radical innovation. Specifically, this work empirically and theoretically analyses the role of different types of collaborative networks in achieving product innovation and, more precisely, the degree of novelty. Using a longitudinal data of Spanish manufacturing firms, our results show that the continuity on the co-operative strategy, the type of partner and the diversity of collaborative networks are critical factors in achieving a higher degree of novelty in product innovatio

Service innovation in manufacturing firms : evidence from Spain.

The ways in which manufacturing firms come to offer services to customers – servitisation or servicisation – are attracting considerable attention. This paper examines an innovation survey of Spanish firms in order to investigate one aspect of this phenomenon: the introduction of new or improved services by manufacturers. Specifically, the paper analyses the determinants of service innovations in manufacturers and determines whether they differ from those of product or process innovations in these same firms. The study finds that almost 20 percent of the firms in the sample have introduced such services in the recent past and that important differences exist between service and product (goods) innovations, with service innovations being particularly related to human resource development and closer links to customers. This suggests that service innovation by manufacturers has much in common with the innovation patterns detected in service sector firms. Intriguing differences across manufacturing sectors are also noted, with the lowest- and highest-tech sectors reporting more service innovations than the medium-tech sectorsInnovation; Manufacturing; Service; Servitisation;

Beyond formal R&D : taking advantage of other sources of innovation in low- and medium-technology industries.

This study deepens our knowledge of critical success factors in the innovation process of low- andmediumtechnology (LMT) industries. To accomplish this, it explores howthe innovation process in LMT firms may depend on non-formal R&D activities and the use of external sources. The empirical analysis is based on a representative panel of Spanish manufacturing firms. The results strongly support the view that non- R&D activities such as design, the use of advanced machinery and training are crucial to understanding the innovation process of any firm. The study finds, however, that the impact of these activities is especially important in LMT industries, particularly for the achievement of product innovations. The empirical evidence also reveals the importance of external sources such as the use of consultants, the hiring of personnel, collaboration agreements and external R&D, with the greatest differences between LMT and high-technology (HT) firms being observed in process innovationsLow- and medium-technology industries; Technological activities; External sources; Innovation outputs; Market characteristics;

Propuesta metodológica para una relectura crítica del sistema de financiación del desarrollo (1944-2007)

Con la presentación de este trabajo queremos rendir homenaje al Profesor Dr. Rafael Martínez-Cortiña. En los últimos 25 años, Rafael se centró en el análisis exhaustivo del sistema financiero. Esta línea de investigación le llevó a implicarse personalmente en el impulso de los estudios de cooperación internacional al desarrollo en general y de los micro-créditos, en particular. En este recuerdo a su memoria y a su ejemplo, realizamos una propuesta metodológica que, pensamos, permitiría realizar una relectura e interpretación crítica de la filosofía con la que se diseñó la estructura del sistema de financiación al desarrollo, que creemos es más coherente con el aparente fracaso de las políticas al desarrollo que las interpretaciones ortodoxas, basadas en las explosiones demográficas, la escasez de capital o/y en las corruptelas de los gobernantes. Nuestra tesis es que el sistema de financiación se diseñó en función de los intereses geoestratégicos y económicos de los países donantes y no de las personas empobrecidas de los países receptores. Pensamos que una metodología económica holísitica y estructural es más adecuada que la ortodoxa para iluminar el problema de fracaso de las políticas de superación del subdesarrollo. ____________________________________________With the submission of this work we pay tribute to Professor Dr. Rafael Martínez-Cortiña. In the last 20 years Rafael focused on the analysis of the financial system. This line of research led him to become personally involved in the pulse of international cooperation in development in general and the micro-credits in particular research papers. In this remembering to his memory, we propose a reading and interpretation criticism of the philosophy with which was designed the structure of the financing system to development, which we think is more consistent with the apparent failure of policies to development that orthodox interpretations, based on the population explosions or in the petty corruption of rulers. Our thesis is that the financing system was designed to benefit geostrategic and economic interests of the donor countries and not of the impoverished people of the recipient countries

Adaptive clustering algorithm for cooperative spectrum sensing in mobile environments

In this work we propose a new adaptive algorithm for cooperative spectrum sensing in dynamic environments where the channels are time varying. We assume a centralized spectrum sensing procedure based on the soft fusion of the signal energy levels measured at the sensors. The detection problem is posed as a composite hypothesis testing problem. The unknown parameters are estimated by means of an adaptive clustering algorithm that operates over the most recent energy estimates reported by the sensors to the fusion center. The algorithm does not require all sensors to report their energy estimates, which makes it suited to be used with any sensor selection strategy (active sensing). Simulation results show the feasibility and efficiency of the method in realistic slow-fading environments.This work has been funded by SODERCAN and Programa Operativo FEDER under grant CAIMAN - 12.JU01.64661, and by the Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (MINECO) of Spain, and AEI/FEDER funds of the E.U., under grants TEC2017-86921-C2-1-R (CAIMAN), TEC2013-47141-C4-R (RACHEL) and TEC2016-75067- C4-4-R (CARMEN)