Objectives | Innovation and incentives

MIMA-CM’s line of research on innovation and incentives is divided into two areas:

I. Generation and agglomeration of innovative knowledge

Policies to promote knowledge transfer are often based on a linear conception of innovation, however academic research is enriched by inputs from industry and viceversa, and collaboration often happens from the outset. We analyse science-industry links and patenting strategies across countries and, taking into account geospatial aspects, we focus on the evolution of innovative activity in Spain over time and its accelerated concentration in certain places in recent years.

II. Technological standards

Technological standards are needed when innovation requires interconnectivity, such as in the telecommunications sector. We analyse the role of patents and patent licensing in companies’ negotiations to reach technological standards. In this setting, the risk of «patent holdup» in patent licensing has been analysed in numerous studies, but the opposite risk may be more important: the so-called «patent holdout». This arises when potential users of patents refuse to negotiate in good faith and force the innovator either to invest substantial resources in obtaining payment or to forgo any remuneration for those patents.