Diversity of Science Linkages: A Survey of Innovation Performance Effects and Some Evidence from Flemish Firms

28 Pages Posted: 2 Feb 2011

See all articles by Bruno Cassiman

Bruno Cassiman

Harvard University - Business School (HBS)

Reinhilde Veugelers

Catholic University of Leuven (KUL) - Department of Applied Economics; Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

Pluvia Zuniga

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

Date Written: 2010

Abstract

This paper discusses the diversity of mechanisms which firms can deploy to link to science and how science links are associated with their innovation performance. Using a sample of Flemish firms, we show that there exists considerable heterogeneity in the type of links to science at the firm level. Overall, firms with a science link enjoy superior innovation performance, in particular with respect to innovations that are new to the market. At the invention level, our findings confirm that patents from firms engaged in science are more frequently cited and have a broader technological and geographical impact. We show that it is crucial to distinguish between direct science links at the invention level and indirect science links at the firm level to encounter distinct positive effects.

Keywords: Innovation, cooperation, patents, forward citation, science, industrial innovation

JEL Classification: O32, O34, L13

Suggested Citation

Cassiman, Bruno and Veugelers, Reinhilde and Zuniga, Pluvia, Diversity of Science Linkages: A Survey of Innovation Performance Effects and Some Evidence from Flemish Firms (2010). Economics: The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal, Vol. 4, 2010-33, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1753521 or http://dx.doi.org/10.5018/economics-ejournal.ja.2010-33

Bruno Cassiman (Contact Author)

Harvard University - Business School (HBS) ( email )

Soldiers Field Road
Morgan 270C
Boston, MA 02163
United States

Reinhilde Veugelers

Catholic University of Leuven (KUL) - Department of Applied Economics ( email )

Leuven, B-3000
Belgium
+32 16 32 6908 (Phone)
+32 16 32 6732 (Fax)

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

London
United Kingdom

Pluvia Zuniga

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) ( email )

2 rue André Pascal
Paris Cedex 16, 75775
France

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