Working with Distant Researchers - distance and content in university-industry interaction

Anders Broström

No 173, Working Paper Series in Economics and Institutions of Innovation from Royal Institute of Technology, CESIS - Centre of Excellence for Science and Innovation Studies

Abstract: This paper studies the role of geographic proximity for interaction on R&D, by exploring the special case of university-industry contacts. While numerous studies find that geographic proximity facilitates spillover effects between university and industry by utilising evidence from e.g. patenting and publishing activities, the geographical dimension is largely understudied in studies that report evidence from direct interaction. To explore when geographical proximity matters for university-industry interaction, a series of interviews with R&D managers in Swedish engineering firms is conducted. These interviews suggest that linkages in geographical proximity are more likely to generate impulses to innovation and create significant learning effects at the firm. Similarly, geographic proximate interaction is more likely to successfully contribute to R&D projects with short time to market. For long-term R&D projects, geographic proximity is generally seen as a less critical factor. A survey to 425 R&D managers in Swedish engineering firms provides evidence that supports these hypotheses.

Keywords: R&D collaboration; innovation collaboration; university; technology transfer (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L21 L23 O32 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 23 pages
Date: 2009-03-25
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cse, nep-edu, nep-ino, nep-ipr, nep-pr~, nep-mic and nep-ppm
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Working with distant researchers--Distance and content in university-industry interaction (2010)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hhs:cesisp:0173

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