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National or international public funding? Subsidies or loans? Evaluating the innovation impact of R&D support programmes

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  • Huergo, Elena
  • Moreno, Lourdes

Abstract

The objective of this study is to compare the effect of different types of public support for R&D projects on firms’ technological capabilities. We distinguish be-tween low-interest loans and subsidies and between national and European sup-port. Using data on 4,407 Spanish firms during the period 2002-2005, we estimate a multivariate probit to analyse the determinants of firms’ participation in public R&D programmes and, later, the impact of this participation on firms’ technologi-cal capabilities using different indicators. The results provide evidence of the ef-fectiveness of all treatments for improving firms’ innovative performance. With respect to innovation outputs, apart from the indirect effect of public support by stimulating R&D intensity, we also find evidence of a direct effect of participation in the CDTI credit system and in the European subsidy programme on the probability of obtaining innovations and applying for patents.

Suggested Citation

  • Huergo, Elena & Moreno, Lourdes, 2014. "National or international public funding? Subsidies or loans? Evaluating the innovation impact of R&D support programmes," MPRA Paper 64926, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 28 May 2015.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:64926
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Soft loans; R&D subsidies; impact assessment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H81 - Public Economics - - Miscellaneous Issues - - - Governmental Loans; Loan Guarantees; Credits; Grants; Bailouts
    • L2 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior
    • L52 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy - - - Industrial Policy; Sectoral Planning Methods
    • O3 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights

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