Research Fellow, Dr Areti Gkypali from Warwick Business School will present her research as part of the ongoing Economics Visiting Speaker Series.
DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS VISITING SPEAKER SERIES
Dr Areti Gkypali, will be presenting her research paper titled, Accessibility, utility and learning effects in university-business collaboration
| Date | Thursday 27 April |
| Time | 3:00 pm |
| Venue | Room 2.15, Aras na Laoi, UCC |
Abstract
UK government reports have repeatedly emphasised the potential role of universities in driving localised economic development. Firms source university knowledge firms need to go some distance. There may be a utility-accessibility trade-off, however, between the accessibility of local university knowledge and its ‘fit’ with the specific needs of local firms. Here, using data from UK Innovation Surveys (UKIS) covering the period 2004 to 2012, we examine this trade-off and how it differs for firms of different sizes. Our analysis suggests four main empirical results. First, we find support for the predicted inverted-U shape relationship between the distance between collaborators and the innovation benefits. Second, we find evidence, in accord with the utility/accessibility trade-off, that local university collaboration benefits only small and medium firms. Third, we find that learning effects from previous collaborations with customers, suppliers etc. increase the probability of collaborative activity. Fourth, we find strong evidence of the persistence of university collaborations. Our results re-affirm the evidence from other studies of the value of university collaboration and suggest the value of policy action to address market failures which arise in the formation of university-small business collaborations.
All very welcome to attend.