The role of intermediaries in innovation processes has been analyzed in the literature from a dual point of view of the firm`s performances. Being considered actors involved in the knowledge diffusion and technology transfer, intermediaries are considered collaborators of small and large...

A review of the types of Innovation System identified in the literature points to different models. Besides the very well-known National, Regional, Local, sectorial, and technological innovation systems, combinations of the previous can be identified, proposing sub-models such as National Open...

The question of why certain regions are more efficient in creating new knowledge is one of the main research issues in Regional Science. In the recent past, inter-regional knowledge networks ? defined as the inter-linkage of collaborative endeavours in knowledge creation across regional...

We present some preliminary empirical results on impact of international certification on export behavior of Russian manufacturing firms. Our research is motivated, first, by the fact that little is known about the impact of ISO certification on the performance of Russian firms and, second, by...

The EU Framework Programme (FP) belongs to the most important instruments promoting transnational collaborative R&D projects in Europe. Its main objective is to initiate cross-border complementarities in order to exploit knowledge resources and to conduct large scale research. Within the EU FPs...

According to the latest estimates over 16 per cent of the EU citizens are poor (based on monetary concept). Using Europe 2020 strategy indicator people at risk of poverty or social exclusion over 23 percent of EU citizens can be considered poor. Analyses of poverty may be based on several...

This paper studies the industry-specific relationship between industrial clustering and firm growth. The literature usually considers industrial clusters as positive for the general economic development of regions. In particular, their relationship with the formation rate of new firms and the...

In the expansionary phase of the economy (1995-2007) and, particularly after the Euro introduction, credit to the business sector increased significantly in Europe. According to surveys of the EC-Flash Eurobarometer (2005), over 77% of SMEs claimed to have appropriate funding levels. A number of...

This paper examines the importance of localized and global knowledge for innovative exporters by observing their embeddedness in regional innovation systems and international knowledge flow by using trade data on the openness of regional industries. The study distinguishes between new competence...

There is a substantial heterogeneity in productivity when comparing individual firms. However, even when heterogeneity is found, some questions still remain unaddressed. For instance, when focusing on EU nothing is known about the importance of firms' heterogeneity compared with that of...