Evaluation of the effectiveness of technological platforms as a technology transfer tool: the impact of French Technological Research Institutes on the socio-economic performance of SMEs

This objective of this paper is to evaluate and examine the impact of technological platforms used as technology transfer tools on the financial and employment variables of SMEs. To do so, it considers the French Technological Research Institute (TRI) known as “Nanoelec”, which is an interdisciplinary thematic institute which uses technological platforms to accelerate the transfer of innovation in companies. Using a matched difference-in-difference approach with the individual effects on panel data observed over the 2008–2016 period, empirical analysis shows that the TRI had a homogenous and significant effect on equity but no effect on employment variables. When cross-referenced against the length of participation in the TRI however, more heterogenous results emerged, showing that the TRI had an additional effect on all financial variables (turnover, equity and financial autonomy) and that this effect appears to concentrate on companies which have participated for longer (two to three years). Furthermore, the evaluation shows a clear positive effect on equity and financial autonomy among firms that collaborate with an Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) laboratory and a weak negative effect on net turnover for firms which receive “expertise” type treatment. Additional analysis indicates that the type of treatment has a more significant role to play than the length of involvement in the TRI.