Title: Evaluating governmental support to automotive research and development (R&D): a Swedish case

Authors: Hans Pohl

Addresses: VINNOVA, Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems, Chalmers University of Technology, SE-101-58 Stockholm, Sweden

Abstract: One objective of evaluating governmental R&D investments is to learn from the past and improve future activities. This paper discusses R&D evaluation methods using empirical data covering more than 15 years of publicly (co-)funded automotive R&D in Sweden, with a particular focus on public-private R&D partnerships. One contribution of the paper is that it illustrates the need to add a systemic level to the programme and project level in traditional R&D evaluation methods. Further, it argues for diversity in public R&D funding in terms of instruments used and in the selection of actors, activities and technologies to be sponsored. This diversity is threatened in the Swedish automotive context, as the public-private R&D partnership programmes (which give priorities to the industrial actors in the agreement) appear to crowd out other types of public R&D investments.

Keywords: research and development; R&D evaluation; public-private partnerships; PPPs; public policy; Sweden; automotive R&D; automobile industry; public funding; R&D funding; R&D investment; government investment.

DOI: 10.1504/IJATM.2012.046002

International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management, 2012 Vol.12 No.1, pp.1 - 21

Published online: 20 Aug 2014 *

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