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on Innovation |
| By: | Koski, Heli; Rouvinen, Petri |
| Abstract: | Abstract This report examines the global race for 5G and 6G leadership through a comparative analysis of regulation, R&D investment, patenting, and the rollout of next-generation networks and services across Europe, the United States, and Asia. The United States leads in digital services and semiconductors, while Asia dominates telecommunications infrastructure and hardware. Europe’s strengths lie in telecom equipment and specific semiconductor niches but remain too narrow to offset weaknesses in digital platforms and data-driven services. Patent data highlight Asia’s stronger position in 5G technologies, while R&D spending confirms U.S. leadership in areas less visible in patent counts yet vital for long-term innovation and value creation. Europe performs relatively well in 5G network deployment and services in some member states but lacks the scale in digital services and innovation ecosystems needed for global leadership. The EU’s comprehensive digital regulation has particularly strengthened privacy protection but risks constraining innovation. To remain a meaningful player in the 6G era, Europe must align its regulatory ambitions with its production and innovation capacities and its investment incentives. Without such recalibration, well-intentioned regulation may ultimately erode the competitiveness it seeks to protect. |
| Keywords: | 5G, 6G, Global markets, Regulation, Innovation capabilities, Patents, R&D |
| JEL: | O33 O38 O32 O57 L52 L96 L8 |
| Date: | 2025–12–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:rif:report:170 |
| By: | Guillermo Arenas Díaz (Dipartimento di Politica Economica, DISCE, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milano, Italy); Mariacristina Piva (Dipartimento di Politica Economica, DISCE, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Piacenza, Italy); Marco Vivarelli (Dipartimento di Politica Economica, DISCE, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milano, Italy – UNU-MERIT, Maastricht, The Netherlands – IZA, Bonn, Germany - Global Labor Organization (GLO), Essen, Germany) |
| Abstract: | This study investigates the relationship between Artificial Intelligence (AI) and innovation inputs in Spanish manufacturing firms. While AI is increasingly recognized as a driver of productivity and economic growth, its role in shaping firms’ innovation strategies remains underexplored. Using firm-level data, our analysis focuses on whether AI complements innovation inputs - specifically R&D and Embodied Technological Change (ETC) - and whether AI can be considered as a Method of Invention, able to trigger subsequent innovation investments. Results show a positive association between AI adoption and both internal R&D and ETC, in a static and a dynamic framework. Furtheremore, empirical evidence also highlights heterogeneity, with important peculiarities affecting large vs small firms and high-tech vs low-tech companies. These findings suggest that AI may act as both a complement and a catalyst, depending on firm characteristics. |
| Keywords: | Artificial Intelligence, Method of Invention, R&D, Innovation Inputs, Innovative Complementarities |
| JEL: | O31 O32 |
| Date: | 2025–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ctc:serie5:dipe0052 |
| By: | Grassano Nicola; M'barek Robert (European Commission - JRC); Gonzales Hermoso Hugo |
| Abstract: | This report presents a patent-based indicator to measure the innovation output of the bioeconomy, which is a key driver for the European Union's transition to a sustainable and circular economy. The analysis covers the period 2008-2020 and provides insights into the trends and patterns of bioeconomy-related patenting activity in the EU. The results show that the share of bioeconomy patents in the EU patent portfolio is modest but significant, with a mixed growth trend over the observed period. The proposed indicator could be a useful tool for policymakers to monitor and promote the uptake of the bioeconomy in the EU. |
| Date: | 2025–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ipt:iptwpa:jrc144079 |
| By: | Calza Elisa (European Commission - JRC); Napolitano Lorenzo (European Commission - JRC); Soguero Escuer Jorge (European Commission - JRC); De Prato Giuditta (European Commission - JRC); Tuebke Alexander (European Commission - JRC); Tuebke Alexander (European Commission - JRC) |
| Abstract: | We analyse the advanced manufacturing (AM) industrial landscape via the Digital Techno-Eco-nomic ecoSystem (DGTES) and position the EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard firms. Over 70% of global AM firms are concentrated in China (45%), the US (17%), and Europe (10%), pointing to a clear regional dominance in the DGTES AM ecosystem. The EU is still well positioned relative to its number of activities in critical technologies for the AM industry, like´3D Printing´. The EU and Japan have higher R&D investment and patent filings of Scoreboard firms compared to the broader DGTES AM ecosystem (e.g., 16% vs. 10% in the EU) making them candidates for driving the uptake of AM technologies. However, China leads in overall AM ecosystem patent activity. ´3D printing´ dominates the AM ecosystem (27%), but Scoreboard firms excel in ´Power Electronics´ (35% vs. 20%). The manufacturing sector leads in both (47% overall, 68% for Scoreboard firms), with significant presence in ´ICT´ and ´professional services´. |
| Date: | 2025–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ipt:iptwpa:jrc142720 |
| By: | Giulio Valerio Corbelli (Università degli Studi di Ferrara; SEEDS, Italy) |
| Abstract: | This working paper investigates how Italian innovative startups integrate sustainability, innovation, and inclusion within their strategic and organizational frameworks. Drawing on a national survey of 1, 000 firms registered under the Italian Start-up Act, the study examines the structural, behavioral, and perceptual dimensions of sustainability-oriented entrepreneurship. The empirical analysis combines descriptive, comparative, and multivariate methods—including hierarchical and K-means cluster analyses—to identify typologies of startups that reflect different configurations of technological intensity, environmental commitment, and inclusiveness. The results show that Italian innovative startups are predominantly small, recently founded, and highly research-oriented, with a strong concentration in knowledge-intensive sectors. Sustainability- oriented startups—those identifying as “green†or “partially green†—represent almost half of the sample. They tend to be younger, employ a higher share of R&D personnel, and meet a greater number of legal requirements for innovative status. However, gender inclusiveness remains limited: female participation among founders and managers is low, and only a minority of startups implement formal inclusion policies. Cluster analysis reveals two main archetypes: (1) Technological Mainstream startups—larger, R&D- intensive firms focused on technological performance—and (2) Sustainable and Gender- Balanced startups—smaller but more inclusive and institutionally embedded. Within the subset of sustainability-oriented firms, two additional groups emerge: Tech-Green Operative Firms, focused on eco-efficiency and technological solutions, and Sustainable & Inclusive Champions, integrating environmental, social, and economic objectives. Finally, a set of econometric models was estimated to assess whether sustainability orientation systematically predicts key performance, innovation, and perception outcomes. The results confirm that green and partially green startups display distinct behavioral and strategic patterns even after controlling for size, age, sector, and regional factors. |
| Keywords: | Sustainable entrepreneurship; Innovation ecosystems; Startups; Italy; Inclusion; Resource Based View; Institutional Theory; Cluster analysis. |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:srt:wpaper:1425 |
| By: | Fabiani Josefina (European Commission - JRC); Fernández Cruzado Ana (European Commission - JRC); De Prato Giuditta (European Commission - JRC) |
| Abstract: | This study underscores the EU's progress and challenges in the twin transition, offering insights into the EU's competitive position and potential areas for policy action. Despite twin patents filed by EU players increasing on average of 14% annually since 2009, the number of patents is still far behind those from China and the US, clear leaders in twin technologies innovations. China and the US host also most co-applicants for patent filings of EU-based players, and the study underscores potential dependencies on Chinese partnerships. |
| Date: | 2025–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ipt:iptwpa:jrc142637 |
| By: | Joel Mokyr (Northwestern University) |
| Abstract: | Joel Mokyr delivered his Prize lecture on 8 December 2025 at the Aula Magna, Stockholm University. He was introduced by Kerstin Enflo, member of the Committee for the Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. |
| Keywords: | technological innovation; economic growth |
| JEL: | O |
| Date: | 2025–12–08 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ris:nobelp:021903 |