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J Technol Transf (2011) 36:84100 DOI 10.1007/s10961-009-9131-5
Giovanni Abramo Ciriaco Andrea DAngelo Flavia Di Costa Marco Solazzi
Published online: 25 June 2009 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2009
Abstract This study concerns the market for research collaboration between industry and universities. It presents an analysis of the population of all Italian universityindustry collaborations that resulted in at least one international scientic publication between 2001 and 2003. Using spatial and bibliometric analysis relating to scientic output of university researchers, the study shows the importance of geographic proximity in companies choices of university partner. The analysis also reveals inefciency in the market: in a large proportion of cases private companies could have chosen more qualied research partners in universities located closer to the place of business.
Keywords Universityindustry collaboration Geographical proximity
Information asymmetry Bibliometrics Co-authorship Italy
JEL Classication O32
1 Introduction
The capacity to develop new knowledge is one of the most signicant factors in a nations economic growth, together with the ability to transfer knowledge to the national industrial system. European Union countries, in spite of excellent scientic results, are noted for their lack of success in translating knowledge into useful market innovations (EC 1995). The
G. Abramo (&)
National Research Council of Italy and Laboratory for Studies of Research and Technology Transfer, Department of Management, School of Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata,Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italye-mail: [email protected]
C. A. DAngelo F. Di Costa M. Solazzi
Laboratory for Studies of Research and Technology Transfer, Department of Management,School of Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
C. A. DAngeloe-mail: [email protected]
The role of information asymmetry in the market for universityindustry research collaboration
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The role of information asymmetry 85
phenomenon is especially evident in nations such as Italy, where a very large share of scientic research is conducted in the public sector (47.5%); where the industrial system concentrates on low to mid-level technology and industries consist mostly of micro, small and mid-sized companies.
Public research can have a signicant and pervasive effect in the sphere of private enterprise (Cohen et al. 2002), and collaboration in research is one of the more important forms of knowledge transfer. Many nations enact policies and stimuli to support such collaboration and transfer, with...