R&D subsidies & external collaborative breadth: Differential gains and the role of collaboration experience

Gary Chapman
Abel Lucena
Sergio Afcha

2018
Article

Abstract:

External collaboration breadth is important for firms to acquire the knowledge needed to innovate. In this paper, we combine cross-sectional and longitudinal data from the Spanish Panel of Technological Innovation Survey (PITEC) to examine the indirect impact of R&D subsidies on firm external collaboration breadth. We contribute to understanding of the indirect impacts of R&D subsidies by first providing strong evidence of an economically significant average positive impact of R&D subsidies on firm external collaboration breadth. Second, our results advance understanding of the differential impacts of R&D subsidies by revealing the vast heterogeneity of the impact at the firm level, where approximately only half of treated firms experience a positive collaboration impact from R&D subsidies, while the remainder experience no impact or a negative effect. Finally, we advance understanding of the characteristics explaining the differential impact of R&D subsidies on external collaboration breadth by utilising the organisational learning literature to demonstrate the important role of firm collaboration experience.

 

Reference:

Chapman, G.; Lucena, A.; Afcha, S. (2018): R&D subsidies & external collaborative breadth: Differential gains and the role of collaboration experience, Research Policy, 47(3), pp. 623-636. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2018.01.009

Research areas