Spécial issue on the economics of knowledge spillovers: introduction and overview

This paper summarises the contents of the special issue of the Brussels Economic Review on the economics of knowledge spillovers. The studies of this special issue lead to the following main findings. Knowledge spillovers arise through different channels and they are largely shaped by the structure of economic activities in a given region. Universities appear to be a main actor of science and technology generation and transfer. However, this source of scientific information does not appear to play an important role for the firms innovative activities. Furthermore, while universities are an important actor of firms innovative collaborative agreements, the fruits of these partnerships do not have a significant impact on firms' economic performance.