Innovation drivers at firm level: the role of university collaboration in R&D (preliminary remarks)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71014/sieds.v80i4.560Abstract
Numerous studies agree that innovation has a key role in economic development. A common conclusion among these studies is the central importance of innovation in fostering economic development, with R&D investments seen as essential to enhancing national competitiveness.
Within this framework, collaborative networks between firms and universities play a strategic role, as they facilitate knowledge transfer.
Building on the work of Ciccarelli et al. (2025), which analyzed the macroeconomic spillovers of universities and firms R&D regional expenditure on value added, this study shifts the focus to the micro-level in order to provide a more comprehensive understanding of these effects. Using data from Permanent Business Census carried out by ISTAT since 2019, this paper shows the importance of R&D, and particularly the effect on firm performance of collaboration with universities.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Andrea Ciccarelli, Audrey De Dominicis, Alessandro Faramondi, Silvia Lombardi, Ilaria Straccamore
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