The influence of science–industry collaboration on firms’ innovative performance – evidence from the Republic of Croatia

Abstract

The theory of National Innovation System emphasizes innovation as a source of economic and productivity growth and stresses the importance of collaboration between science and industry. The basic objective of this paper was to research whether there is an interaction between Croatian companies and scientific institutions, and whether it affects an increase of innovativeness of economic entities. The results of the performed empirical research and their econometric analysis indicate a conclusion that a positive impact of the collaboration on intensity of innovation in Croatian companies is still absent. The results indicate that the system of innovation in the Republic of Croatia, when compared to developed countries, is still in a transition and that commercialisation of academic knowledge is a phenomenon paid somewhat greater attention only recently.