Self-selection and learning in European Research Joint Ventures: a microeconometric analysis of participation and patenting

The paper investigates the patenting activity of participants to European R&D consortia in the fields of Information and Communication Technology and Medical and Biotechnology. The empirical assessment emphasises the relevance of self-selection in explaining the participants innovative dynamics in comparison with a counter-factual of non-participating firms, particularly in the ICT field. However, the econometric evaluation also provides evidence of a positive effect of consortia affiliation in the emerging Biotech field, where European joint ventures appear to have attracted firms with a high, albeit still unexpressed, innovative potential