Teaming up with Large R&D Investors: Good or Bad for Knowledge Production and Diffusion?

35 Pages Posted: 27 Sep 2019

See all articles by Sara Amoroso

Sara Amoroso

European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS)

Simone Vannuccini

University of Sussex - Science and Technology Policy Research Unit (SPRU); Université de Nice Sophia Antipolis - Groupe de Recherche en Droit, Economie et Gestion (GREDEG); GREDEG CNRS

Date Written: September 2019

Abstract

The participation of top R&D players to publicly funded research collaborations is a common yet unexplored phenomenon. If, on the one hand, including top R&D firms creates opportunities for knowledge spillovers and increases the chance for a project to be funded, on the other hand, the uneven nature of such partnerships and the asymmetry in knowledge appropriation capabilities could hinder the overall performance of such collaborations.

In this paper, we study the role of top R&D investors in the performance of publicly funded R&D consortia (in terms of number of patents and publications). Using a unique data set that matches informationon R&D collaborative projects and proposals with data on international top R&D firms, we find that indeed teaming up with leading R&D firms increases the probability to obtain funds. However, the participation of such R&D leaders hinders the innovative performance of the funded projects, both in terms of patents and publications. In light of this evidence, the benefits of mobilizing top R&D players should be carefully leveraged in the evaluation and design of innovation policies aimed at R&D collaboration and technology diffusion.

Keywords: collaboration; public funding; innovation performance; appropriability; top R&D investor

JEL Classification: L24; L25; O33

Suggested Citation

Amoroso, Sara and Vannuccini, Simone, Teaming up with Large R&D Investors: Good or Bad for Knowledge Production and Diffusion? (September 2019). SWPS 20, 2019, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3460101 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3460101

Sara Amoroso (Contact Author)

European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS) ( email )

Edificio Expo, C
Inca Garcilaso, s/n
Sevilla, E-41092
Spain
+34 9544 88335 (Phone)

Simone Vannuccini

University of Sussex - Science and Technology Policy Research Unit (SPRU) ( email )

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Brighton BN1 9RH UK, Sussex
United Kingdom

Université de Nice Sophia Antipolis - Groupe de Recherche en Droit, Economie et Gestion (GREDEG) ( email )

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Valbonne, 06560
France

GREDEG CNRS ( email )

250 RUE ALBERT EINSTEIN
SOPHIA ANTIPOLIS, 06560
France

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