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This work analyzes the impact of university–industry collaborations (UICs) on the innovation performance of a sample of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) located in Veneto, a region in the north-east of Italy, which is considered particularly representative of the often-cited "innovation without research" model. We consider two aspects of such UICs that have never been at the center of theoretical and empirical debates on the innovation capacity of SMEs and whose importance has only recently been recognized. The first aspect is the variety of forms that UIC can take. Specifically, we distinguish between formal and informal collaborations. The second aspect is the possible influence of the absorptive capacity of SMEs on their ability to gaining from UICs in terms of innovation performance. We combine statistical analysis of the results of a survey administered to 179 SMEs in Veneto with a collection of anecdotal evidence to show that UICs effectively increase SMEs' innovation performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies have emphasized the role of knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) in fostering innovation in metropolitan areas and regional innovation systems. Such areas are capable of expressing a strong demand for KIBS and consequently stimulate the rise and growth of KIBS. Despite an abundance of literature on KIBS emphasizing the relevance of spatial proximity to customers, many KIBS develop relationships on a broader national or even international scale. No studies have focused explicitly on this apparent discrepancy as yet. The aim of this paper is therefore to fill this theoretical and empirical gap by explaining the firm-level factors relating to the market extension of KIBS within the framework of regional innovation systems. Our analysis is based on a quantitative study on more than 150 KIBS supplying design or communication services located in the Veneto region (north-eastern Italy), an area that can be described as a regional innovation system. Five variables were considered, that is, size, experience, service standardization, investments in network technologies and relational intensity. Our results confirm that three of these variables, but not service standardization and relational intensity, correlate positively with the market extension of KIBS. Policy implications are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]