Industry-science cooperation and public policy instruments utilization in the private sector

This article explores the utilization of public policies aimed at supporting industrial innovation, and, in particular, enterprises involved in industry-science cooperation. The aim is to investigate whether firms cooperating with universities or R&D organisations are more likely to be supported by the state and demonstrate higher innovation performance. The empirical analysis is based upon the results of a 2018 specialised survey on innovation-active high-tech and medium high-tech manufacturing enterprises in Russia and relies on the concept of ‘additionality’. Although the study results indicate that enterprises interacting with R&D performing organisations are more likely to be publicly supported, the recipients claim that the provided support rarely causes significant changes in their performance. Cooperating with R&D organisations and universities appears associated with mainly a general boost in the competitiveness of the enterprise. The paper provides evidence to suggest that support allocation in Russia is following a ‘picking-the-winner’ strategy. Combined with possible crowding-out effects, such strategy may prove to be counterproductive for a country with a less well developed national innovation system.