Co-invention and knowledge transfer in science-industry collaboration: Evidence on Recombinant Novelty
- Theme
- Economics of Innovation · Science of Science
- Status
- Presented at the 8th Geography of Innovation Conference (2025)
- Output
- No public link yet.
Read abstract
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.





