MEDIDA DEL RETORNO DE LOS PROYECTOS DE INNOVACIÓN SUBVENCIONADOS EN REGIONES NO INTENSIVAS EN INNOVACIÓN. EL CASO DE ASTURIAS

Abstract

The relation between R&D and economic development is well-known. In most of the countries of the OECD the R&D effort is realized by private companies, but in countries like Spain, public administrations needs to incentive innovation due the lack of impulse of the private sector. Subsidies acts like the seeds of the R&D programs of the business. The social return is based on the economic growth generated by the innovation. In this work, the focus is on the return of the subsidized research projects in a region with R&D indicators below the average. We consider regions where innovation is not a main goal for the corporation, and choose as instance Asturias. The regional economic is base in primary industry and services, with no-innovation (with some exceptions). The regional government and some local authorities, with high concern about R&D relevant, established annual subsidized competitive research project for the local business. This study shows how this project contributes to generate new industrial alternatives and the social return in terms of incomes and employment growths. Keywords: Research, innovation return; regional subsidized programs; I+D; Asturias