Learning outcomes: major insights in to the state of the art in academic research related to economics and business aspects of innovation
Competences: ability to critically assess quality and implications of academic research in the area. Ability to understand and use relevant research methods in the field.

The course deals with business and economic aspects of innovation. It is a joint course of Maastricht University, UNU-MERIT, and KU Leuven, with course sessions organized in Maastricht and Leuven. The course consists of six intensive sessions and is taught by lecturers who are all known experts in the field of innovation research and have contributed to the state of the art in their domain. Lecturers and topics may vary across years. The sessions cover key issues in innovation such as innovation networks, the productivity of R&D, patenting and intellectual property rights, the effectiveness of R&D subsidy and tax deduction policies, organizing for innovation in large firms, and the role of science in stimulating business innovation. The course is oriented towards students in PhD trajectories, requires considerable preparation and involves critical reading of scientific articles and mastering state of the art quantitative research methods. Evaluation is based on written post-class assignments and in-class participation and presentations.

Reader with articles from academic journals

• Bachelor in Economics or Business Administration, understanding of the interpretation of econometric techniques.