Academic research, technological specialization and the innovation performance in European regions: an empirical analysis in the wireless sector

In this paper, we carry out an empirical analysis to test the existence of localized interrelations between academic research and private sector innovation performance. The analysis is based on patents and scientific publications for two panels of 15 European Countries and 33 selected regions. By adopting a technological specialization approach, we find evidence of a regional co-localization pattern between scientific specialization and industrial specialization. Furthermore, the local presence of a large innovative company positively affects the extents of knowledge spillovers from the academic sector.