We study how science–industry collaborations foster technological novelty at the inventor level. Using French patent data (1976–2013), we measure recombinant novelty as the creation of new IPC-class combinations and estimate causal effects through a dynamic difference-in-differences design. A first co-invention with a scientific partner substantially raises the probability of recombinant novelty, especially immediately after collaboration, consistent with tacit knowledge transfer through learning-by-doing. Network embeddedness conditions this effect: clustered and constrained positions dampen novelty, whereas more open networks enhance it. Geographical proximity plays a weaker role, with collaborations at distance generating comparable outcomes. Finally, technological context matters: inventors embedded in environments with higher revealed technological advantage display stronger and more persistent gains from collaboration. These findings highlight the catalytic role of science–industry partnerships in opening new technological trajectories, while showing that their impact depends less on geography than on inventors’ network structure and the absorptive capacity of their technological environment.

This exercise proposes a theoretical model inspired by and extending the recent approach of Bourreau et al. (2023), to analyze the effect of interoperability on innovation incentives in an asymmetric market of advertising-funded digital platforms (such as WhatsApp vs. Signal). Within a classic Hotelling framework with endogenous multi-homing, we explicitly incorporate strategic innovation choices in the presence of technological spillovers, allowing the dominant platform to copy the innovations developed by the minority platform. Our results show that the introduction or increase of interoperability reduces users' propensity to multi-home, thereby incentivizing the minority platform to intensify its investment in innovation to preserve its vertical differentiation. Conversely, the spillover discourages autonomous innovation by the leader. These theoretical results highlight the necessity of fine-tuned regulation of interoperability levels and the protection of innovations to effectively promote innovation dynamics.

This literature review aims to provide a synthesis of key themes in Industrial Organization, with a particular focus on markets characterized by network externalities. First, it explores the relationship between competition and innovation before examining the issue of compatibility and its implications, notably in the context of the Digital Markets Act.