Private sector research and development (R&D) labs in Britain are disproportionately clustered around highly rated university research departments, according to new research from the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
Interestingly this phenomenon is not driven just by university ѳpin-outsҺ in some industries, foreign-owned firms are choosing to locate in close proximity to high quality research. This implies that multinational firms may be sourcing cutting-edge technologies from universities in Britain.
The study by Laura Abramovsky, Rupert Harrison and Helen Simpson, to be presented at the Royal Economic Society's 2006 Annual Conference at the University of Nottingham next week, finds that the evidence for clustering of R&D facilities close to university departments is particularly strong in the pharmaceuticals and chemicals sectors.
Authors
Helen Simpson
Laura Abramovsky
Laura is a Research Fellow at IFS. Her current work focuses on tax and social protection policy and programme evaluation in developing countries.
Rupert Harrison
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