ABSTRACT

This research considers the hypothesis that firms’ propensity to engage in R&D is linked both to their economic and structural characteristics and to variables related to their perception of science, their appraisal of the benefits and risks of investing in R&D, and their attitude towards the role science plays within the firm. Research is based on the results of the survey ‘Scientific culture, perception and attitudes towards science and innovation in the business sector’, administered to a representative sample of Spanish companies. The results obtained through logistic regression evidence that together with firms’ economic and financial characteristics, which have traditionally been considered crucial factors for engaging in R&D, firms’ perception of science is also a major factor when analysing the way in which they address these processes. There are, indeed, subjective and cultural factors, besides those issues of an economic nature, which may motivate or mitigate firms’ R&D engagement.

摘要

本研究考虑了这样一个假设，即公司从事研发的倾向与其经济和结构特征以及与科学认知、对研发投资收益和风险的评估以及对研发作用的态度有关的变量有关。科学在公司内部发挥作用。研究基于对西班牙公司的代表性样本进行的“科学文化、商业领域对科学和创新的看法和态度”调查的结果。通过逻辑回归获得的结果表明，加上企业的经济和财务特征，传统上被认为是从事研发的关键因素，在分析它们处理这些过程的方式时，公司对科学的看法也是一个主要因素。除了经济性质的问题之外，确实还有主观和文化因素可能会激励或削弱公司的研发参与。