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R&D subsidies and firm innovation: does human capital matter?

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  • Sergio Afcha
  • Abel Lucena

Abstract

This paper examines the innovation impact of R&D subsidies in Spain. It contributes to the literature on technology policy by challenging the assumption considering this impact as homogenous across firms. The paper presents a conceptual framework in which the human capital composition of a firm’s R&D staff, defined in terms of education and skills, conditions the innovation impact of R&D subsidies. Using panel data for Spain, we find that the shares of Ph.Ds. and researchers within a firm’s R&D staff positively moderate the effect of national R&D subsidies on the production of technological knowledge. This fact shows the strategic value of Ph.Ds. and researchers in exploiting R&D subsidies. We also show that the contribution of Ph.Ds. is limited to the production of technological knowledge. In contrast, the contribution of researchers goes beyond the production of technological knowledge, also enhancing the R&D subsidy impact on the commercialisation of firms’ innovations.

Suggested Citation

  • Sergio Afcha & Abel Lucena, 2022. "R&D subsidies and firm innovation: does human capital matter?," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(10), pages 1171-1201, November.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:indinn:v:29:y:2022:i:10:p:1171-1201
    DOI: 10.1080/13662716.2022.2088334
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    Cited by:

    1. Haiyan Wang & Yasinjan Sawur, 2022. "The Relationships between Government Subsidies, Innovation Input, and Innovation Output: Evidence from the New Generation of Information Technology Industry in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-22, October.
    2. Joana Costa & Inês Amorim & João Reis & Nuno Melão, 2023. "User communities: from nice-to-have to must-have," Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 12(1), pages 1-35, December.
    3. Jiang, Zihao & Shi, Jiarong, 2023. "Government intervention and technological innovation in the wind power industry in China: The role of industrial environmental turbulence," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 344(C).

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