Does Cluster Policy Trigger R&D Activity? Evidence from German Biotech Contests

Dirk Engel, Timo Mitze, Roberto Patuelli () and Janina Reinkowski ()
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Janina Reinkowski: ifo Munich

Working Paper series from Rimini Centre for Economic Analysis

Abstract: This paper evaluates the R&D enhancing effects of two large public grant schemes for the German biotechnology industry (BioRegio, BioProfile). Both grant schemes are organized in the form of contents for cooperation with the goal to foster the performance of innovative firms by their organization in research clusters. We apply a Difference-in-Differences estimation technique in a generalized linear model framework, which allows us to control for different initial regional conditions in R&D activity of the biotech sector. Our econometric findings support the view that winners generally outperform non-winning participants during the treatment period, thus indicating that exclusive funding as well as the stimulating effect of being a "winner" have positive effects on R&D activity in the short-term. Apart from this direct winner effect, for the non-winning participants no beneficial indirect effect due to a mobilization of local actors during the application phase could be detected. Finally, first attempts in estimating the long-term effects of the contests for cooperation approach on the winner regions' R&D activity in the post-treatment period show ambiguous results.

Keywords: Biotechnology; R&D Policies; Cluster; Difference-in-Differences Estimation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C23 O38 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011-02, Revised 2012-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cis, nep-cse, nep-ino, nep-sbm and nep-ure
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Published in European Planning Studies, 21(11):1735–1759, 2013

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Related works:
Journal Article: Does Cluster Policy Trigger R&D Activity? Evidence from German Biotech Contests (2013)
Working Paper: Does Cluster Policy Trigger R&D Activity? – Evidence from German Biotech Contests (2012)
Working Paper: Does the Support of Innovative Clusters Sustainably Foster R&D Activity? Evidence from the German BioRegio and BioProfile Contests (2011)
Working Paper: Does the support of innovative clusters sustainably foster R&D activity? Evidence from the German BioRegio and BioProfile contests (2011)
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