Bruno Brandão Fischer

Towards a Taxonomy of Firms Engaged in International R&D Networks: an Evaluation of the Spanish Participation in Eureka

Innovation is increasingly becoming an internationalized process and a strategy that has recently been playing a central role in this scenario is that of RD (2) Inventors; and (3) Consistent Innovators.

How Attractive are Innovation Systems for Knowledge Intensive Services’ FDI?: A Regional Perspective for Spain

Following an increasing body of literature that has been generated regarding the role played by Knowledge Intensive Services in economic systems, our approach focuses on KIS international orientation (FDI) according to the attractiveness we expect Regional Innovation Systems might have in these flows. Results suggest that technological variables participate rather marginally in the process of FDI attraction. As this situation unfolds more relevantly in the case of Outward investment than Inward, we can therefore expect that Spanish investment abroad is more oriented towards asset and knowledge seeking than the inflow of investments in services and in KIS in Spanish regions.

Firm Segmentation as a Tool for R&D Policy Evaluation: Revisiting the Taxonomy of Firms Engaged in International R&D Networks

As we have addressed in an earlier article, quantitative evaluation of R&D policies often approaches the outcomes of initiatives without effectively considering differential impacts on economic agents. Our goal is to confirm the existence of “segments” of firms according to their outcomes arising from participation in a given R&D program. Data is gathered from Eureka Program’s Final Reports (2000-2005 and 2006-2008) from Spanish, Italian, French, British, and German firms. Classification focus is directed towards variables related to innovation projects’ outcomes. Log-likelihood clustering method was used. Tests for differences between clusters in terms of some variables of interest were performed. Results are consistent with the hypothesis of marked heterogeneity in firms’ outcomes. This methodology offers a valuable instrument for RTD policymakers in terms of monitoring and ex post intervention.

Assessing Centralized Governance in a Software Cluster

Increasing attention has been paid to the creation of spatially concentrated environments (industrial agglomerations or clusters) that aim at fostering firm-level competitiveness. However, while much has been said about clusters in general, less attention has been paid to structural governance within these agglomerations. This paper discusses the economic dynamics of clusters in the presence of centralized formal body of governance regarding internal and external relationships. We have carried out a case study of the key players in the software industry of Ribeirao Preto, which relies on an institutional arrangement called PISO. PISO arises as an economic institution in the context of Ribeirao Preto’s software cluster that structures collective action within the system, interfering in the regional policymaking processes and fostering an environment that improves overall capabilities that allow firms to take full advantage of the externalities in order to create and consolidate competitive local advantages.