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The Catalysing Role of In-House R&D in Fostering Complementarity Among Innovative Inputs

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  • Alessandra Catozzella
  • Marco Vivarelli

Abstract

While several studies have investigated the relationship between internal and external sources of innovation, no clear-cut result has emerged so far, suggesting the possibility that the nature of such interaction-far from being an absolute property of the innovative process-may instead be a relative one, contingent upon the nature and the level of innovative inputs a firm has invested in. Using microdata from the third Italian Community Innovation Survey, we test under what conditions the nature of the interactions between four different innovative inputs (internal and external R&D, embodied and disembodied technological acquisition) is one of complementarity or substitutability. Two are the main findings of our study: (i) internal R&D and embodied technological acquisitions turn out to be complementary only after a minimum threshold of in-house R&D expenditure has been overcome, being substitutive otherwise; (ii) investing in internal R&D also affects the nature of the relationships between alternative external sources of innovation, whose interaction proves to be complementary only for firms that invest in internal R&D.

Suggested Citation

  • Alessandra Catozzella & Marco Vivarelli, 2014. "The Catalysing Role of In-House R&D in Fostering Complementarity Among Innovative Inputs," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(3), pages 179-196, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:indinn:v:21:y:2014:i:3:p:179-196
    DOI: 10.1080/13662716.2014.910890
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    3. Romano, Livio, 2019. "Explaining growth differences across firms: The interplay between innovation and management practices," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 130-145.
    4. Stefano Bianchini & Gabriele Pellegrino & Federico Tamagni, 2016. "Innovation Strategies and Firm Growth," LEM Papers Series 2016/03, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
    5. Blind, Knut & Krieger, Bastian & Pellens, Maikel, 2022. "The interplay between product innovation, publishing, patenting and developing standards," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(7).
    6. Sangyun Han & Soo Kyung Park & Kyu Tae Kwak, 2021. "Workforce Composition of Public R&D and Performance: Evidence from Korean Government-Funded Research Institutes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-17, March.
    7. Uwe Cantner & Ivan Savin, 2014. "Do Firms Benefit from Complementarity Effect in R&D and What Drives their R&D Strategy Choices?," Jena Economics Research Papers 2014-023, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena.
    8. K D S Fernald & H P G Pennings & J F van den Bosch & H R Commandeur & E Claassen, 2017. "The moderating role of absorptive capacity and the differential effects of acquisitions and alliances on Big Pharma firms' innovation performance," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(2), pages 1-22, February.
    9. Carpio Freire, Carlos Raúl & Afcha Chávez, Sergio Moisés, 2020. "Efecto de las barreras de innovación en la capacidad de absorción de las empresas innovadoras || Effect of innovation barriers on the absorptive capacity of innovative companies," Revista de Métodos Cuantitativos para la Economía y la Empresa = Journal of Quantitative Methods for Economics and Business Administration, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Department of Quantitative Methods for Economics and Business Administration, vol. 30(1), pages 3-22, December.
    10. Gema García‐Piqueres & Rebeca García‐Ramos, 2020. "Is the corporate social responsibility–innovation link homogeneous?: Looking for sustainable innovation in the Spanish context," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(2), pages 803-814, March.
    11. Roman Fudickar & Hanna Hottenrott, 2019. "Public research and the innovation performance of new technology based firms," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 44(2), pages 326-358, April.
    12. Xulia González & Daniel Miles-Touya & Consuelo Pazó, 2016. "R&D, worker training and innovation: firm-level evidence," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(8), pages 694-712, November.
    13. Francesco Aiello & Paola Cardamone & Lidia Mannarino & Valeria Pupo, 2021. "Does external R&D matter for family firm innovation? Evidence from the Italian manufacturing industry," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 57(4), pages 1915-1930, December.
    14. Olena Gudz & Natalia Yevtushenko & Anastasiia Hlushenkova, 2024. "Directions For The Development Of The Innovation Potential Of Enterprises In The Context Of Digital Transformations," Baltic Journal of Economic Studies, Publishing house "Baltija Publishing", vol. 10(1).

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