Les subventions publiques aux projets collaboratifs d’innovation environnementale : une évaluation en approche mixte

In order to minimize the environmental footprint of our production, innovation must play a central role. Over the last two decades, government support for environmental research projects has intensified to accelerate the transition and help overcome challenges green innovation undergoes. Grant programs are a central component of the public action in that field. This work intends to evaluate the effectiveness of such measures. It focuses on the main support program dedicated to environmental innovation in France: the calls for projects of the agency for environmental transition, Ademe. Within it, most funds have been allocated to collaborative research projects. The methodology developed here seeks to understand the impacts of the program and the mechanisms underlying public intervention. It is based on the use of quantitative and qualitative data, and thus falls into the family of so-called mixed methods. The program has a strong incentive impact, with a significant increase in the resources allocated to R&D. The final impact on innovation activities appears to be insignificant. However, this lack of results seems to be explained by the lack of time between the treatment and the last year of observation available. In addition to the financial contribution, the program seems to rely on three other mechanisms: First, the complementarity between partners, second a strong technical learning effect, and finally a signal effect. These effects seem particularly relevant for overcoming barriers to access to financing as well as to technological diffusion within the market.