Learning through experience in Research & Development: An empirical analysis with Spanish firms

Pilar Beneito, María Engracia Rochina-Barrachina and Amparo Sanchis-Llopis
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Maria Engracia Rochina Barrachina

Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2014, vol. 88, issue C, 290-305

Abstract: In this paper we analyse the role of learning through experience in Research and Development (R&D) activities in strengthening firms' capabilities to achieve innovation outcomes and, subsequently, in obtaining rewards in terms of firms' performance. First, using an innovation production function approach, we estimate a count-data model and find that the number of years of engagement in R&D activities, or R&D experience, has a positive effect on the expected number of product innovations, although at a decreasing rate. In addition, our results suggest that, whereas large firms are more efficient than SMEs in converting R&D investment into product innovations, SMEs seem to be able to draw efficiency gains from R&D experience at least comparable, if not higher, to those obtained by large firms. Secondly, we find that not only the number of innovations but also their impact on firms' performance increase as firms accumulate R&D experience, suggesting that R&D experience helps to obtain not only more innovations but also innovations of a higher quality.

Keywords: R&D experience; Learning; Product innovation; Count data; Total factor productivity and sales (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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Working Paper: Learning through experience in Research & Development: an empirical analysis with Spanish firms (2013)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:88:y:2014:i:c:p:290-305

DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2013.10.009

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