R&S e sviluppo locale (Expenditure in R&D and local development)

Spending capacity in R&D is generally regarded as an important factor for the growth of modern economies. More important still is to understand the quality of the interaction between research resources and the single territories together with their concrete impact on innovation processes. The present level of aggregation of expenditure data on R&D, which is limited to administrative regions, is still high, thus restricting the possibility to carry out more detailed analyses. The aim of the present work, which is largely empirical, is to estimate the amount of R&D spending for different institutions in Italian provinces (University, Public Administration and Business). On the basis of these estimates, we have carried out some initial cross-analyses with variables relative to the provinces’ different economic structures, current research findings and the impact on the wider economic context. The cluster analysis, in particular, has revealed the presence of seven profiles of innovation and territorial development which provide an approximate indication of the Italian provinces’ different innovation resources and ability to respond to the competitive challenges posed by the international context.