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  • July 2022
  • Article
  • American Economic Review

Estimating Spillovers from Publicly Funded R&D: Evidence from the US Department of Energy

By: Kyle Myers and Lauren Lanahan
  • Format:Print
  • | Pages:31
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Abstract

We quantify the magnitude of R&D spillovers created by grants to small firms from the US Department of Energy. Our empirical strategy leverages variation due to state-specific matching policies, and we develop a new approach to measuring both geographic and technological spillovers that does not rely on an observable paper trail. Our estimates suggest that for every patent produced by grant recipients, three more are produced by others who benefit from spillovers. Sixty percent of these spillovers occur within the United States, and many of them occur in technological areas substantially different from those targeted by the grants.

Keywords

Innovation; Energy; R&D; Grants; Innovation and Invention; Research and Development; Patents; Performance; United States

Citation

Myers, Kyle, and Lauren Lanahan. "Estimating Spillovers from Publicly Funded R&D: Evidence from the US Department of Energy." American Economic Review 112, no. 7 (July 2022): 2393–2423.
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About The Author

Kyle R. Myers

Technology and Operations Management
→More Publications

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  • Myeloma Investment Fund By: Kyle Myers and Scott Sawaya
  • Managing Science: Perspectives from Postdocs By: Kyle R. Myers, Rembrand Koning, Solene Delecourt, Katelyn Cranney, Kris Gulati and Scott Sawaya
  • Commonwealth Fusion Systems: Born at Scale By: Joshua Lev Krieger, Jim Matheson, Kyle Myers, Gunnar Trumbull and Richard Vietor
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