Effect of R&D subsidies and tax credits on the innovative processes of Chilean firms

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of research and development (R&D) subsidies and tax credits on the innovative processes of Chilean firms.Design/methodology/approachProbit and tobit models for pseudo-panel with instrumental variables are estimated using data from different versions of the Innovation Survey covering the period 2007–2016.FindingsThe results show that R&D subsidies and tax credits have a statistically significant and positive effect on the probability of performing internal and external R&D, but do not affect the intensity of R&D spending, reflecting a crowding-out effect on private funds of both instruments. On the other hand, firms that simultaneously receive R&D subsidies and tax credits have a lower percentage of innovative sales. Furthermore, there are not effects statistically significant of the R&D subsidies and/or tax credits on the number of intellectual property rights applications.Originality/valueIt is concluded that both instruments have not been effective to encourage innovative outputs in Chilean firms.