Title: How to regain funds from technology promotion programs. Results from an evaluation of the financial instruments used in public R&D funding of incumbent SME

Authors: Michael Rothgang, Lutz Trettin, Bernhard Lageman

Addresses: Rhine Westphalia Institute for Economic Research (RWI), Hohenzollernstr. 1-3, 45128 Essen, Germany. Rhine Westphalia Institute for Economic Research (RWI), Hohenzollernstr. 1-3, 45128 Essen, Germany. Rhine Westphalia Institute for Economic Research (RWI), Hohenzollernstr. 1-3, 45128 Essen, Germany

Abstract: The success of public programmes for private sector R&D depends – among other factors – on the financing instruments used and the resulting incentives for the participating firms. There have been efforts to move away from traditional instruments – such as non-repayable grants – in order to make policy measures more effective in respect of both the aims of the financing institution and the promoted business firms (such as mezzanine-instruments). This paper discusses the results of an evaluation study, in which different instruments are examined, based on the following questions: What instrument is suitable in which kind of situation? How can the probable effects of different financing instruments be evaluated? What conclusions could be drawn for future evaluation studies?

Keywords: technology promotion; SMEs; public funding; private R&D; evaluation; funding instruments; German R&D systems; Finnish R&D systems.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.2003.003372

International Journal of Technology Management, 2003 Vol.26 No.2/3/4, pp.247 - 269

Published online: 05 Sep 2003 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article