Cooperazione e spesa in R&S : evidenze empiriche dalla Community Innovation Survey

R&D activities are carried out through the introduction of new products, new processes or, according to the latest indications (OECD / Eurostat, 2005), through new organizational and marketing levels. These activities increasingly depends by the firm's ability in interacting with other subjects (firms, research centers), so that they can share risks and costs of the projects, internalize spillover effects, access to new sources of knowledge (Veugelers, 1997). However, there is not unanimous consent whether these interaction' forms determine an increase of firms'R&D costs. The object of the paper is to verify if cooperation agreements influence firms' expenses in innovative activities, and if there are complementary or substitution effects. Using data from the Community Innovation Survey (CIS) of 2008 referred to Italy, a double hurdle model is estimated and a positive and statistically significant effect of cooperation on R&D investment is found.