Concord 2011 Summary Report

The aim of CONCORD-2011 was to provide a forum for an academic discussion about recent findings on the role of R&D and innovation in terms of industrial dynamics and company growth. From the 102 abstracts sub-mitted in response to the initial call, 30 papers were selected and subject to a detailed presentation and discussion during the Conference. In addition, 20 posters were displayed. The conference was structured along three thematic strands: IV. R&D and innovation: Sources and constraints at company level V. Industrial dynamics & the role of R&D and innovation for Europe's competitiveness VI. New avenues for policy and for management practices The papers and the presentations during the conference examined very different topics and issues, ranging from evidence of certain sector specifics in terms of industrial innovation to broad systemic issues. At the same time, the papers shared a common methodology: they were all empirical, based on relatively unique (micro) datasets, and most of them used advanced econometric tools. This methodological consistency was very welcomed and contributed positively to the scientific quality of the conference. Obviously, data limitations prevented some papers from going too far in terms of interpretations and policy implications. In some cases, in fact, the unavailability of longitudinal datasets hindered a better investigation of causal links rather than focusing on simple correlations. This was the case, for instance, in terms of several analyses on the EU innovation deficit. The scientific findings come to reinforce the broad existing evidence on the subjects covered and, in a number of cases, present conclusions with clear policy implications, as illustrated in this report. This synthesis is structured along the logic of the three thematic strands of CONCORD-2011: (1) micro-level evidence and firm behaviour, (2) evidence at mesolevel, i.e. sector and industry dynamics, and (3) evidence from the assessment of concrete policy tools and management practices. Along the text, reference is made to the papers from which the corresponding evidence and conclusions were extracted. The list of papers is provided in Annex I.