Abstract

This study aims at providing new insights into the role of cooperation in the process of technological capabilities development across firms in Italy. Technological capabilities are considered in relation to the way innovation is performed, whether by generation, imitation or adoption strategies. Main findings, based on firm-level data from the Community Innovation Survey (cis 2012), confirm that the role of heterogeneous cooperation linkages for innovation varies greatly across firms and industries, so that it cannot be fully appreciated when innovative firms are considered on the same footing, regardless of whether they have been able to develop the new technologies introduced or not.