Public financial support for firm-level Research and Innovation (R&I) can generate important socio-economic returns. This is especially true if firms use this support to develop radical innovation, defined as new-to-market goods and services. However, radical innovation is risky, and prone to...

The R&D policy instrument mix concept has become increasingly important for understanding how public R&D support drives firm-level R&D. To-date, empirical studies have conceptualised the instrument mix as a static unit, whereby firms receive multiple policy instruments at one point in time....

Die schwere Wirtschaftskrise 2008/09 hatte substanzielle Auswirkungen auf die Innovationstätigkeit der deutschen Wirtschaft. Die Umsatz- und Gewinneinbußen führten zu einem kräftigen Rückgang der Innovationsausgaben. Davon waren primär Investitionen für neue Produkte und verbesserte...

Process innovation is an important part of firms’ innovation activities and supposed to significantly contribute to positive returns from innovation. Measuring process innovation output at the firm level is still in its infancy, however. This paper reports empirical evidence on measures of...

This paper tests a number of hypotheses on the use and effectiveness of patents and trade secrets designed to protect innovation. While previous studies have often considered patents and trade secrets as substitutes for one another, we investigate the complementary role of the two protection...

Innovation activities in the German enterprise sector showed two opposing trends over the past two decades: While total innovation expenditures grew substantially, the number of firms conducting innovation activities fell sharply. Innovation expenditures hence concentrate on fewer firms. In this...

In this paper we analyze the conditions under which firms decide to offshore innovation. We consider the role of internal technological capabilities and technological dynamism in the firm environment, distinguishing speed and uncertainty of technological change. Using unique data from the German...

The aim of this study is to analyse how research and innovation activities, funded by the Nanosciences and Nanotechnologies, Materials, New Production Technologies (NMP) and the Industrial Biotechnology (B) themes in the Seventh Framework Programme for Research (FP7) (together: FP7 NMBP), are...

Der Beitrag untersucht, inwieweit hinter der oft konstatierten Investitionsschwäche der europäischen Wirtschaft eine Strukturverschiebung von materiellen zu immateriellen Investitionen steht. Da letztere nur zum Teil unter den Investitionsbegriff der Volkswirtschaftlichen Gesamtrechnung...

Hidden Champions (HCs) are firms unknown to the wider public, but global leaders in the niche markets they serve. This paper looks at distinctive features of these firms, focusing on their dynamic capabilities. Employing a unique data base on German firms, we identify a representative sample of...