Research Collaboration Networks in Biotechnology: Exploring the Trade-Off Between Institutional and Geographic Distances

This paper investigates the relationship between spatial and institutional distances in research collaboration networks using data on co-authorship in scientific publications in the Italian “red” biotech sector. Specific tools of social network analysis complemented by multivariate analysis are used to show that there is a trade-off between institutional and geographic distances whatever the nature of the knowledge exchanged, namely the degree to which knowledge is basic or applied. However, the levels of geographic and institutional distances substantially differ across basic and applied research networks. Measures of the intensity of relationships are also considered in the analysis.     

Reaching Out and Reaching Within: A Study of the Relationship between Innovation Collaboration and Innovation Performance

A large body of research has thoroughly discussed and examined agglomeration advantages for innovation of geographically concentrated firms. However, there is an increasing awareness that this intellectual tradition tends to overemphasize the role of geographic proximity in the transfer of knowledge between firms and to under-theorize the contribution of nonlocal knowledge flows. With a sample of 143 manufacturing firms from Singapore, this research attempts to answer three interrelated questions: (1) Does local networking effort provide firms with added value above and beyond what is available to them by just “being there?” (2) Does local collaboration contribute more to innovation performance than nonlocal collaboration? (3) What is the joint impact of local and nonlocal collaborations on innovation performance? We find that while local and nonlocal collaborations are statistically indistinguishable from each other in terms of their relative importance, they represent complementary spurs to innovation. Despite the unique research setting of Singapore as a city state, we argue that our findings may be generalizable to geographic systems in other parts of the world.     

Foreign Subsidiaries and Technology Sourcing in Spain

Firms acquire external technological knowledge via different channels. In this paper, we compare the technology sourcing of foreign subsidiaries and domestic firms looking at domestic R&D outsourcing, international R&D outsourcing, domestic cooperation for innovation and international cooperation for innovation. We use data from the Spanish Technological Innovation Panel for the years 2005–2009 for 10,206 innovative firms operating in Spain. We apply a multivariate probit specification which allows for systematic correlations among the different choices. The results show that the different technology sourcing choices are interdependent and that foreign subsidiaries show a different pattern of external technology sourcing. Compared to affiliated domestic companies, foreign subsidiaries show a smaller propensity for external technology sourcing via R&D outsourcing from independent firms in the host country, for international R&D outsourcing and for international cooperation for innovation. In contrast, foreign subsidiaries show a greater propensity for domestic cooperation for innovation. However, foreign subsidiaries are not a homogenous group in this respect.     

Multinationality Matters in Innovation: The Case of the UK Financial Services

The paper starts with a brief summary of theoretical perspectives on the relationship between multinationality and innovation and the move from a centralized and hierarchical perspective to a more decentralized network-based one. Four hypotheses are set up to test the relationship between multinationality and innovation, using data from the Community Innovation Survey 12 for the financial services sector. All models control for the size of the enterprise. The results show that multinationality is positively related to innovation activities. The positive impact of being part of a multinational company (MNC) on the propensity to innovate seems largely due to the fact that MNCs operate in different countries rather than, or more than, to the enterprise being part of a group. The relevance of multinationality appears to be higher, the higher the degree of internationalization of the company of which the enterprise is part. The country of origin of the company appears also to be important.     

Collaboration for Innovation: A Case Study on How Social Capital Mitigates Collaborative Challenges in University–Industry Research Alliances

Differences in goals and approaches between firms and universities often lead to challenges that prevent the realization of fruitful university–industry collaboration. This paper explores how the development of cognitive and relational social capital can, over time, mitigate such challenges and encourage fruitful collaboration between firms and universities in research alliances for the development of innovations. Using a multi-level perspective at the individual, organizational and alliance levels of social capital, this paper investigates firms participating in two contrasting research alliances: one well-established research alliance and one emerging alliance. This study suggests that the development of both cognitive and relational social capital at the individual, organizational and alliance levels appears crucial for effective collaboration in research alliances over time. Common goals and understandings regarding the collaboration and the creation of personal relationships between the employees of firms and universities helps mitigate collaborative challenges, stimulate cohesion and realize the goal of creating innovations.     

Perceived Obstacles to University–Industry Collaboration: Results from a Qualitative Survey of Italian Academic Departments

Although universities are generally under pressure to increase their interactions with industry, academic departments vary enormously in the extent to which they collaborate with businesses. There are several factors, which, to different extents, drive or hamper academics' capabilities to engage in collaboration with the private sector. On the basis of original data from interviews with 197 university departments in Italy, this paper investigates the main obstacles to technology transfer activity as perceived by academic researchers, and their possible impact on university–industry collaborations. The analysis shows that three (out of four) perceived obstacles are barriers to university–industry interactions and negatively affect the probability of engaging in collaboration with industry. The estimated impact of these perceived obstacles on the frequency of collaborations is less clear-cut and requires further investigation.     

External Knowledge and Innovation Performance in Clusters: Empirical Evidence from the Uruguay Software Cluster

The importance of geographic proximity for innovation has been widely stressed in the cluster literature. Yet, new insights from the inter-organisational network and cluster literatures underline the role of non-local linkages in enabling firms in networks to enhance learning and to innovate. This paper contributes to this literature by examining the importance of local and non-local knowledge networks for the innovation performance of firms in clusters. Our analysis is based on primary data from a survey of 95 software firms clustered in Montevideo, Uruguay. The results highlight that the most innovative firms in clusters heavily rely on non-local knowledge networks. Moreover, the number of indirect local ties to other firms is a better predictor of innovative performance than the number of direct local ties. Finally, our findings confirm the presence of knowledge gatekeepers in clusters and emphasise their role in enhancing innovation in clusters by absorbing knowledge from extra-cluster sources and diffusing it to other local firms.     

Collaboration Intensity and Regional Innovation Efficiency in Germany—A Conditional Efficiency Approach

Many case studies highlight a positive relationship between regions' innovation performance and the intensity of collaboration among regional organizations. However, few efforts have been made to analyze this relation with quantitative approaches. In addition to a theoretical discussion, the paper presents an empirical investigation on this issue utilizing conditional efficiency analysis and patent co-application data for the Electrics & Electronics industry in 270 German labor market regions. The results show that the relationship between regions' innovation performance and the intensities of regional as well as inter-regional collaboration take the form of an inverted-U shape. Regions with average regional and inter-regional collaboration intensities are found to outperform those characterized by extremely low, high or unbalanced collaboration behavior.     

Traditional Versus Heterodox Motives for Academic Patenting: Evidence from the Netherlands

This paper examines what motivates university researchers to patent the results of collaborative research with business firms. We provide evidence of the existence of a motivational academic patenting space comprising (i) an industry-driven domain related to traditional-market motives (protection of inventions that will be commercialized); (ii) a university-driven domain driven by various (“heterodox”) motives related mostly to signalling specific research competences and (iii) a “hybrid” publicly driven domain related to projects aligned to the research agendas of public sponsors. These three types of motivations reflect the connections between academic patenting and different types of innovation, and the roles of industry partners in proposing, financing and performing specific research projects. We use data from 16 in depth case studies of innovations developed by Dutch universities to provide preliminary empirical evidence of this typology of motivational spaces for patenting university knowledge.     

Agglomeration Economies,Firms' Spatial Organization and Innovation Performance: Some Evidence from the French Industry

There is a consensus in economic geography concerning the positive influence of agglomeration economies on innovation. Usually this is captured through the type of area in which a firm's head office (HO) of the firm is located. But the location of the firm's other units could also have an impact on innovation. This article proposes to construct different spatial profiles of firms, based on the location of their HOs and other units in three distinct types of areas, defined according to their degree of agglomeration. The influence of these firms' spatial profiles on their propensity to innovate and innovation intensity is estimated, controlling for other determinants related to structural characteristics, the firms' relations with outsiders and with their competitive environment. This study uses a sample representative of the French manufacturing firms for the year 2006. The econometric results show various effects of multi-location on firms' innovation and highlight the importance of the units in the overall technological dynamic of firms.     

The Relationship between Innovation and Market Share: Evidence from the Global LCD Industry

We investigate the impact of technological capability on firm market share using technology investment data in the global thin-film-transistor liquid-crystal-display panel industry from 1999 to 2007. The Arellano–Bond estimation of the dynamic panel model indicates that prior technological capability is positively correlated with current market share. The magnitude of this effect appears economically substantial: an improvement of technological capability by one standard deviation implied a permanent increase of 2.6 percent-point in quarterly market share, a return tantamount to $470 million in 2007 sales. The Granger test reveals that technological capability helps to predict future market share, but that the inverse is not true.     

Innovation in Creative Cities: Evidence from British Small Firms

Creative cities are seen as important sites for the generation of new ideas, products and processes. Yet, beyond case studies of a few high-profile cities, there is little empirical evidence on the link between local creative industries concentration and innovation. This paper addresses this gap with an analysis of around 1,300 UK small- and medium-sized enterprises. The results suggest that firms in local economies with high shares of creative industries employment are significantly more likely to introduce entirely new products and processes than firms elsewhere, but not innovations which are simply new to the firm. This effect is not exclusive to creative industries firms and seems to be largely due to firms in medium-sized, rather than large, cities. The results imply that creative cities may have functional specialisations in new content creation and so firms are more innovative in them.     

On the Consequences of Patenting University Research: Lessons from a Survey of French Academic Inventors

This paper focuses on the consequences of patenting university research. It presents the results of a survey on 280 French academic inventors, that is, French university professors who are also designated as inventors in at least one European patent. This survey provides new insights into the effect of university patenting on the commercialization of university inventions, the transfer of scientific research, the incentives to do basic research and the access to upstream knowledge. In particular, the study suggests that patenting university research can, on the one hand, facilitate the transfer of technology from university to industry, especially in the fields of life sciences and pharmaceuticals. On the other hand, it almost systematically delays the publication of research findings, thus hindering the dissemination of scientific knowledge.     

Exploring the relationship between types of family involvement and collaborative innovation in design-intensive firms: insights from two leading players in the furniture industry

ABSTRACT

Innovation in family firms has attracted considerable interest from scholars and practitioners in recent years. However, further theoretical and empirical research is needed to illuminate the intricate relationship between family involvement and innovation. This article studies the effect of different types of family involvement on the management of collaborative innovation. Based on empirical evidence from two leading Italian design-intensive firms in the furniture industry (B&B Italia and Cassina), this study illuminates how family involvement in control and management influences the way design-intensive firms collaborate with external designers to innovate their products. We use two indicators, design renewal and design identity, to capture differences in collaboration approaches through which design-intensive family firms involve external designers. Thus, our findings contribute to understanding how collaborative innovation is managed in family firms. This article also provides family firm owners and managers with insights on the forces that influence the collaborative innovation processes in design-intensive firms.     

The Role of Human Capital in Lowering the Barriers to Engaging in Innovation: Evidence from the Spanish Innovation Survey

This paper focuses on the role of human capital in reducing the barriers to firms' engagement in innovation activities. The paper distinguishes between firms facing barriers that stop them from engaging in any innovation activity, and firms that face impediments in the course of their innovation activity. We investigate whether human capital has a particularly strong impact in relation to lowering barriers among the former group of firms, since a strong skill base is likely to compensate for lack of experience in innovation-related activities or the complementary assets needed for innovation. We draw on four waves of the Spanish Innovation Survey and examine the impact of human capital on three types of obstacles to innovation: cost, knowledge and market barriers. We find that human capital has a significant impact on reducing the barriers to innovation represented by knowledge shortages and market uncertainties.     

Innovation Subsidies: Does the Funding Source Matter for Innovation Intensity and Performance? Empirical Evidence from Germany

In this paper we analyze the effect of European and national funding on innovation input and output at the firm level. In terms of innovation input, we do not find evidence that one policy crowds out the effect of the other. Instead, the policies are complements. In terms of output, we find that subsidy recipients are more active with respect to patenting. A citation analysis of patents reveals that the subsidy recipients file patents that are more valuable (in terms of forward citations) than those filed in the counterfactual situation of receiving no public support. These results suggest that public funding triggers socially beneficial research projects and that the co-existence of national and European policies does not lead to crowding-out effects when compared to a hypothetical world of a closed economy with no supplemental European policies.     

The Effects of National and International Interaction on Innovation: Evidence from the Irish CIS: 2004–06

This paper analyses the importance of decisions to interact nationally and internationally for the likelihood of process and product innovation in a sample of Irish firms. The key contribution is to provide an empirical test of the relative importance of geographically proximate versus distant interaction, using a two-step procedure to remove potential endogeneity in interaction decisions. In doing so it finds that only national and only international interaction have the expected positive effects on the probability of innovation, while engaging in both national and international interaction has no effect. The findings support hypotheses on the importance of both geographically proximate and distant interaction for innovation, though the lack of significance for both national and international interaction means there is no evidence to support the proposition that these forms of interaction are complementary.     

Innovation Performance and International Knowledge Spillovers: Evidence from the Renewable Energy Sector in OECD Countries

This paper aims at evaluating the sources of differences among countries' innovative performances in the renewable energy (RE) sector. Namely, we focus on the national innovative capacity, the knowledge developed abroad and the related knowledge spillovers. We claim that a country is more likely to develop RE innovation: (i) the larger the knowledge stocks of other countries in the same sector; (ii) especially when those other countries share established linkages with the focal country. Relying on a knowledge production function, we model country-level innovative performances in the RE sector for 18 OECD countries in the period 1990–2006. Our findings confirm that, once controlling for climate-energy policies, international knowledge spillovers contribute significantly to RE innovation, and their effect is comparable with domestic R&D and human capital. In addition, international spillovers are more likely if countries share stronger linkages.     

Product innovation success based on cancer research in the pharmaceutical industry: co-publication networks and the effects of partners

This paper builds upon the literature which provides conflicting theoretical insights and empirical results concerning the importance of companies’ collaborative relations, their position within a network of collaborative relations and the effects on their innovative performance. Taking the importance of collaborations and networks in the pharmaceutical industry into account, the paper untangles the influence of the firm’s co-publication relations with different types of partners and its network position on the company’s product innovation in a specific disease area—cancer. We find rather robust evidence that in particular, companies’ indirect connections within the co-publication network, including connections to academic institutions and biotechnology companies, support product innovation. In contrast to evidence in the strategic alliance literature, direct co-publication links to biotechnology companies do not support product innovation in terms of new cancer medications.