Research Seminar
24 October 2017 – LIUC Università Cattaneo
Speaker: Elisa Salvador
During the series of LIUC Research Seminars for academics, planned by the Vice-Rector to make known the topics studied at the University and to give all researchers the opportunity to present their activities with the aim of building new collaborations, Prof. Elisa Salvador (Assistant Professor at ESSCA School of Management, Management and Corporate Environment Department, and associate researcher at Ecole polytechnique, Management Research Center) presented to colleagues her work on the topic “Research spin-offs in Italy: a cluster analysis approach”.
There are strong expectations towards research spin-offs (RSOs). The literature about this particular kind of companies is booming. Nonetheless, there are no exhaustive analyses currently available about the link between the alma mater and the potential clustering effects. Some universities originate more RSOs than others, but what about the clustering effect? Are some forms of clustering identifiable? What is the strongest driver, scientific research or the industrial tradition? The aim of this article is to provide an answer to these questions through analysing the main characteristics of RSOs compared with their location. The focus is on the universe of Italian RSOs. A k-means cluster analysis identified three groups of RSOs: The first players: a mature group; The new players: a venturesome group; The middle players: a growing group. A logit estimation completed this description and went further through highlighting unexpected results. Implications are then suggested.