The impact of corporate science on environmental innovations: the role of universities and research institutions

Abstract

Environmental innovation has become a cornerstone for companies and societies nowadays, given its potential to promote sustainable growth and development. To undertake environmental innovations, firms traditionally rely on their own resources such as corporate science, that is, basic scientific research that induces the development of the knowledge and capabilities required to sustain long-term strategies. Notably, coupled with corporate science, collaborations with universities and research institutions can also be important when seeking to promote environmental innovations, as these institutions continuously engage in R&D projects and increasingly adopt an eco-friendly vision toward innovation. The results of this longitudinal study, based on a sample of Spanish firms, confirm that corporate science investments spur environmental innovations. Yet, only collaborations with universities positively moderate the relationship between corporate science and environmental innovation.