Collaboration Between Firms and Universities in Italy: The Role of a Firm's Proximity to Top-Rated Departments

This work aims at examining the determinants of research collaboration between firms and universities using the results of the 15th wave of the Bank of Italy Business Outlook Survey on Firms, together with data on the quality and the importance of university research. The distance from top research centres is the most important factor in determining the probability of collaboration. The presence of different innovation sources increases the probability of collaboration; proximity is more important for small- and medium-sized firms, while larger ones collaborate with universities better able to sell the results of their research, regardless of their location.