In times of economic crisis: Innovation with, or without, r and d activities? an analysis of Spanish companies

Abstract

Analysis of non-R &D innovators firms that successfully innovate without conducting R&D activities in-is—house an emerging topic in the innovation literature. Surprisingly, little is known about how they differ from R&D innovators. This paper’s goal is to understand those differences and their persistence in times of economic crisis. From analysing 2011 CIS data, results suggest that for non-R&D innovators: (a) the innovation process has been persistent across different time periods, and that, therefore, firms have innovated whatever the environmental economic conditions; (b) the acquisition of equipment, machinery, and software has been the form most used for acquiring knowledge; (c) in times of economic crisis, the non-R&D strategy is strengthened by a high commitment to acquiring ready-to-use knowledge, rather than relying on uncertain R&D activities; that is, in times of crisis, non-R&D innovators invest more intensively in non-R&D activities than do R&D innovators. Non-R&D innovation represents 50 % of innovation in Europe. At times of economic crisis, it is a more suitable, innovation strategy.