Summer School 2023

Overview of previous editions of the UB School of Economics Summer School: 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022

Economics of Science and Innovation Summer School

July 10-14, 2023

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Science and innovation play an increasingly important role in the growth of economies throughout the world. Innovation is an essential driver of economic progress and a strategic priority for governments, leading companies, and start-up businesses and represents a major source of competitive advantage, wealth creation, and improvements in the quality of life.

This course is intended to introduce participants to selected topics in the economics of innovation, such as science, intellectual property, and knowledge spillovers. Overall emphasis will be on empirical analysis and policy implications, while formal mathematical modelling will remain in the background.

The programme will offer a comprehesive introduction to the most relevant theoretical and empirical questions in the economics of science and innovation. Applied economic studies of innovation are multidisciplinary, as they draw theories, data, and methods from as diverse fields as economics, management, sociology, law, and history, among others. In addition to it, participants will also learn and discuss the various methodologies for tackling open questions in the field.

The course is designed primarily for master’s and PhD students, as well as policymakers seeking a fundamental understanding of the policy tools they administer. Firm managers will also find the lectures on intellectual property of particular interest.

Academic Coordinator for the 2023 edition: Rosina Moreno (Universitat de Barcelona)

Lecturers

Francesco Lissoni is Professor of Economics at the Bordeaux School of Economics (University of Bordeaux) and a longstanding Fellow of ICRIOS–Bocconi University (Milan, Italy). A PhD graduate of the University of Manchester, Prof. Lissoni has a research record in the economics of science, innovation adoption, intellectual property, and university-industry technology transfer, as well as the geography of knowledge diffusion. More recently he has investigated the links between highly skilled migration, innovation, and foreign direct investments. Among others, he has published in the J. of Economic Behaviour and Organization, the J. of Economic Geography, the J. of International Business Studies, Industrial & Corporate Change, and Research Policy.

Valerio Sterzi is Professor of Economics at the Bordeaux School of Economics (University of Bordeaux) where he teaches economics of intellectual property rights and economics of innovation. His main research interests relate to economics of innovation and economics of patents and his work appeared in international peer-reviewed scientific journals such as Research Policy, Industrial and Corporate Change, World Development, Journal of Competition Law and Economics, Industry and Innovation, and Journal of Economics & Management Strategy. He has recently coordinated a project funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR) on the role of non-practicing entities in the European patent market.

Massimiliano Coda Zabetta is a Maria Zambrano Research Fellow at the Department of Econometrics, Statistics, and Applied Economics of the University of Barcelona. He previously worked as postdoctoral researcher at the University of Bordeaux and University College Dublin. He obtained his PhD in Economics from the University of Turin and Collegio Carlo Alberto in 2018.

He is an applied economist, his main research interest is in the field of economics of science, in particular the study of scientists’ mobility and its impact on productivity and international collaboration. In a second strand of research, he studies how international migration affects global cluster of innovation and firms’ foreign direct investments.

Course outline and schedule

The course will combine theory and practice. Each morning is devoted to the presentation of some key issues within the field of the Economics of innovation. The afternoon focuses on the application of the different concepts taught in the morning with a twofold purpose: to learn the databases that allow working with such concepts, and to explore some empirical applications through the software that better fits their use.

Full programme available HERE.

Session 1 Introduction to the Economics of Innovation. Francesco Lissoni

Session 2 The economics of science /1. Francesco Lissoni

Lab 1 Bibliometrics. Massimiliano Coda-Zabetta

Session 3 The economics of intellectual property (IP) /1. Valerio Sterzi

Session 4 The economics of intellectual property (IP) /2. Valerio Sterzi

Lab 2 Patent data. Valerio Sterzi

Session 5 The economics of intellectual property /3. Valerio Sterzi

Session 6 The economics of science /2. Francesco Lissoni

Lab 3 Networks in innovation. Massimiliano Coda-Zabetta

Session 7 Economics of science /3. Francesco Lissoni

Session 8 Geography of knowledge. Francesco Lissoni

Lab 4 Geography with innovation data. Massimiliano Coda-Zabetta

Session 9 Student Presentations. Francesco Lissoni, Massimiliano Coda-Zabetta

This Summer School includes also a session where advanced students can present their works and receive feedback.

Schedule

Dates: July 10th – 14th, 2023
Lecture hours: 22.5 hours

You can find the participants’ schedule HERE.

Applications

Application deadline for general registration without scholarship is June, 20 or until places have been filled out.

APPLICATION FORM

Candidates to the Summer School programme at the UB School of Economics should ensure that they meet the requirements before applying to the course:

– Students should possess a solid background in Economics or related field.

– Although no language certificate is required, we expect all applicants to show full competency in English.

Deadline for registration including student scholarship application closed on April 30th, 2023.

Deadline for registration including StartUB! Innovaiton scholarship application will close on June 20th, 2023.

Tuition Fees

General fee: 710 euros*

Student fee: 475 euros

*25% discount on the general fee for early career researchers (within five years of the award of their PhD).

Fees cover: coffee breaks, welcome dinner, farewell cocktail, unlimited access to the UB Sports Centre and materials required for the course. They do not cover accommodation, transport or any other services.

Student fee eligibility: We will only consider you for the Student Reduced Fee if you are a full-time PhD or Master student enrolled at a university or college, or if you have just finished university or if you are starting university in the same year as the Summer School course. You will be asked to provide a proof of this status at the moment of the application.

Payments: Participants offered a place on the Summer School will receive an e-mail with (i) the admission letter and (ii) the payment instructions. Payments of the tuition fees are required to secure a place once offered.

Cancellation policy: All cancellations must be received in writing and sent in advance by email. Participants wishing to withdraw from the Summer School will have their tuition fees partially refunded according to the following policy: Prior to 15 days before the beginning of the course: full refund of the registration fee, less €100 of administrative costs.

Scholarships

Student scholarships

Master and PhD students seeking financial aid may apply for one of the five student scholarships available. Each scholarship covers the course tuition fees. Applicants should add (i) a cover letter and (ii) a support letter from their supervisor or professor to the online application form. Please note that candidates already graduated will not be eligible to apply for scholarships.

Deadline for registration including student scholarship application is April 30th, 2023. Applications will be reviewed by the Summer School academic coordinator. Priority will be given to those working on a clearly related topic. The list of awarded participants was published by May 15th, 2023 and can be found HERE.

Tuition fees already paid by participants awarded with one of the scholarships will be reimbursed as soon as possible.

StartUB! scholarships

In collaboration with StartUB!, the program offers two scholarships for participants with a background, currently working, or planning to start a project in innovation. Candidates must attach a motivation letter describing their projects and background in Innovation to their applications. Applications will be reviewed by the Summer School academic coordinator.

Deadline for registration including StartUB! scholarship application is June 20th, 2023. The list of awarded participants will be published by June 26th.

Attendance Certificates

Summer School at the UB School of Economics is accredited in accordance with the European Credit Transfer System and will be recognized by the University of Barcelona as 3 ECTS credits.

ECTS – a common language for academic recognition: ECTS, the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System, was developed by the European Commission in order to provide common procedures to guarantee academic recognition of studies abroad. It provides a way of measuring and comparing learning achievements and transferring them from one institution to another. This is achieved through the use of common ECTS credit units and a common ECTS grading scale.