The institutional support for an innovation cooperation in industry: the case of Poland

Research background: Innovative economy and the business environment are important factors in the socio-economic development of a country. In a knowledge-based society, economic processes (especially innovation activity) require a specific stimulus. This stimulus can be provided by business support organization, which have been present in the Polish economy since the 1990s. Purpose of the article: The main goal of the article is to assess the system impact of business support organizations on cooperation in the area of new solutions (product and process innovations) in industry in Poland. Methods: The research method which was used in the analysis was logit modelling. Cooperation in the area of new solutions with the supplier, recipient and competitor was established as a dependent variable and business support organizations as independent variable. The analysis using logistic regression was based on comparison two groups of enterprises: those that were service recipients of support organizations and those that did not belong to this group. In this way, it was possible to determine if the use of BSO services increased the chances for innovative cooperation in industry. The survey was conducted in 2013?2017 among 6284 industrial enterprises. Findings & Value added: The survey showed that business support organizations significantly and systematically influence the establishment of innovative cooperation. Recipients of support organizations twice more often cooperated with suppliers and recipients than entities that did not. Stimulation of cooperation with competitors by BSO was weaker than it was in the case of suppliers and recipients. The conducted study provided information on the level of development of the national innovation system in catching-up countries on the example of Poland. It was pointed out that in economically weak territories, one should focus on stimulating innovative activity as such, while in the developed ones should be transferred to more advanced forms, i.e. innovative cooperation.