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Collaboration Between Firms and Universities in Italy: The Role of a Firm’s Proximity to Top-Rated Departments

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  • Davide Fantino
  • Alessandra Mori
  • Diego Scalise

Abstract

This work aims at examining the determinants of research collaboration between firms and universities using the results of the 15th wave of the Bank of Italy Business Outlook Survey on Firms, together with data on the quality and the importance of university research. The distance from top research centres is the most important factor in determining the probability of collaboration. The presence of different innovation sources increases the probability of collaboration; proximity is more important for small- and medium-sized firms, while larger ones collaborate with universities better able to sell the results of their research, regardless of their location. Copyright Società Italiana degli Economisti (Italian Economic Association) 2015

Suggested Citation

  • Davide Fantino & Alessandra Mori & Diego Scalise, 2015. "Collaboration Between Firms and Universities in Italy: The Role of a Firm’s Proximity to Top-Rated Departments," Italian Economic Journal: A Continuation of Rivista Italiana degli Economisti and Giornale degli Economisti, Springer;Società Italiana degli Economisti (Italian Economic Association), vol. 1(2), pages 219-251, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:italej:v:1:y:2015:i:2:p:219-251
    DOI: 10.1007/s40797-014-0003-2
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    1. Marco Taliento, 2022. "The Triple Mission of the Modern University: Component Interplay and Performance Analysis from Italy," World, MDPI, vol. 3(3), pages 1-24, July.
    2. Giacinto Micucci & Paola Rossi, 2017. "Financing R&D investments: an analysis on Italian manufacturing firms and their lending banks," Economia e Politica Industriale: Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, Springer;Associazione Amici di Economia e Politica Industriale, vol. 44(1), pages 23-49, March.
    3. Giorgio Calcagnini & Ilario Favaretto & Germana Giombini & Francesco Perugini & Rosalba Rombaldoni, 2016. "The role of universities in the location of innovative start-ups," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 41(4), pages 670-693, August.
    4. Maietta, Ornella Wanda, 2015. "Determinants of R&D University-Frim Collaboration and Its Impact on Innovation: a Perspective from the Italian Food and Drink Industry," 2015 Conference, August 9-14, 2015, Milan, Italy 225668, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    5. Luigi Aldieri & Gennaro Guida & Maxim Kotsemir & Concetto Paolo Vinci, 2019. "An investigation of impact of research collaboration on academic performance in Italy," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 53(4), pages 2003-2040, July.
    6. Bodas Freitas Isabel Maria & Federica Rossi & Aldo Geuna, 2014. "Collaboration objectives and the location of the university partner: Evidence from the Piedmont region in Italy," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 93, pages 203-226, November.
    7. Maria Grazia Zoia & Laura Barbieri & Flavia Cortelezzi & Giovanni Marseguerra, 2018. "The determinants of Italian firms’ technological competencies and capabilities," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 8(4), pages 453-476, December.
    8. Douglas S. Noonan & Joanna Woronkowicz & Jessica Sherrod Hale, 2021. "More than STEM: spillovers from higher education institution infrastructure investments in the arts," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 46(6), pages 1784-1813, December.
    9. Angela Besana & Annamaria Esposito, 2017. "Tourism curricula, entrepreneurial engagement and stakeholders’ satisfaction: economics and relationship marketing of universities," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 7(3), pages 375-388, December.
    10. Daniela Bragoli & Flavia Cortelezzi & Massimiliano Rigon, 2023. "Firms' innovation and university cooperation. New evidence from a survey of Italian firms," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 1400, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    11. Robert Huggins & Daniel Prokop & Piers Thompson, 2020. "Universities and open innovation: the determinants of network centrality," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 45(3), pages 718-757, June.
    12. Iacobucci, Donato & Perugini, Francesco, 2023. "Innovation performance in traditional industries: Does proximity to universities matter," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    13. Fredrik Niclas Piro, 2019. "The R&D composition of European countries: concentrated versus dispersed profiles," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 119(2), pages 1095-1119, May.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Research collaboration; Innovation; R&D expenditure; Technology transfer; L24; O31; O32; R12;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L24 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Contracting Out; Joint Ventures
    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
    • O32 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Management of Technological Innovation and R&D
    • R12 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity; Interregional Trade (economic geography)

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