This study examines output additionality effects of direct support to business R&D in the Czech Republic over 2004–2016. Using a large and rich firm-level dataset, we employ a non-parametric propensity score matching estimator to find out whether the subsidies stimulated new applications for formal intellectual property (IP) protection that would not have been made otherwise. The results indicate additionality effects for IP protection of R&D outputs at home but not abroad. Hence, the subsidies have fallen short of expectations for promoting new technology that is sufficiently novel to warrant international IP protection and thus could make a difference in foreign markets. The paper concludes with reflections on how subsidy programmes of this kind are justified, designed and evaluated.

本研究考察了 2004-2016 年捷克共和国直接支持企业研发的产出额外效应。使用一个庞大而丰富的公司级数据集，我们采用非参数倾向得分匹配估计器来确定补贴是否刺激了正式知识产权 (IP) 保护的新申请，否则这些申请是不会产生的。结果表明，国内而非国外研发成果知识产权保护的额外效应。因此，对于推广足够新颖以保证国际知识产权保护的新技术的补贴没有达到预期，从而可能在国外市场产生影响。本文最后反思了此类补贴计划的合理性、设计和评估方式。