University-industry scientific production and the Great Recession

• Published in: Technological forecasting & social change Vol. 139; no. February; pp. 210 - 220
• Main Authors: Azagra-Caro, Joaquín M., Tijssen, Robert J.W., Tur, Elena M., Yegros-Yegros, Alfredo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Elsevier Inc 01-02-2019; Elsevier B.V; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: 1990; absorptive-capacity; akrabarti ak; Business & Economics; Business Administration; Business cycles; Co-authored research publications; collaboration; Colleges & universities; Economic; Economic crisis; Expenditures; Företagsekonomi; Geography of science; Great Recession; growth; ieee transactions on engineering management; impact; innovation; knowledge production function; output; p48; p79; Public Administration; R&D; Recessions; Research & development; Research & development expenditures; science; Scientific production; size; Stagnation; University-industry interaction; v37; velopment; University-industry interaction; Scientific production; Co-authored research publications; Geography of science; Economic crisis
• ISSN: 0040-1625; 1873-5509
• DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2018.10.025

R&D spending, be it university or industrial spending, has a positive impact on the scale of scientific production. However, the impact of R&D spending on joint university-industry scientific production, which may vary significantly according to the phase of macroeconomic cycles, is likely to be more complex than the impact on either within-university or within-industry production. We test this assumption in the context of the OECD countries and other economies against the backdrop of the Great Recession (2007-2013). Industry R&D spending dominated university-industry scientific production, but the crisis changed the impact of that spending source, which was negative during the previous expansion and became positive during the subsequent stagnation. The Great Recession had an absolute negative impact on university-industry scientific production, but also a moderating positive impact on industry R&D spending, to the extent that the few countries where this spending increased faster during the Great Recession saw university-industry scientific production rise. Positive effects were more pronounced with regards to 'domestic' university-industry scientific production, where collaborating universities and business companies were located in the same country.
•Impacts of in-house R&D on joint scientific production are complex.•R&D impact on university-industry science varies with phase of economic cycle.•Industry not university R&D fosters university-industry scientific production.•2008–13 Great Recession cut university-industry scientific production.•Great Recession improved industry R&D impact on science produced with university.