IAREG · Intangible Assets and Regional Economic Growth

The objective of IAREG is to analyse the role played by intangible assets (IA) in the generation of innovation, competitiveness and consequently economic growth and increases in productivity at regional level with a special emphasis on the geographical space in which such processes occur. The specific objectives of the project will be: To develop new indicators for improving the measuring of some of the IA that we consider to have the most influence in the generation of economic development. To analyse how IA and their interaction define the environment affecting firms’ location. To measure the role of regional externalities in the generation of IA and in determining local economic performances in Europe and in the diffusion of knowledge. To provide decision makers with policy recommendations in order to support them in the future design and implementation of regional innovation strategies. The main result expected in the project is the guide of policy recommendations and the dissemination of this guide among regional, national and European policy makers. The project will be carried out by a consortium of 11 partners from 9 European countries. To ensure the achievement of the proposed objectives, the project is structured in 8 workpackages. The first block of workpackages, comprised by WP1, WP2 and WP3 will research on the impact of different intangible assets on innovation, regional economic growth and productivity, both at a theoretical but especially at the empirical level. WP4 and WP5 will analyse the role of spatial knowledge flows (knowledge diffusion) as a transmission mechanism from IA to innovation and growth. WP6 will be devoted to the development of a guide of policy recommendations for stimulating intangible investment and economic growth. WP7 will focus on the broad dissemination of the results achieved in the project, specially of the policy recommendations guide. And WP8 will ensure the correct management and monitoring of the project.