Abstract:

This study assesses whether greater regional exposure to public R&D support under Poland’s Smart Growth Operational Programme (POIR 1.1.1) is associated with higher business-financed R&D intensity and subsequent increases in that intensity. Project-level information on POIR support is combined with regional data on R&D expenditure and gross domestic product (GDP) for all Polish voivodeships over the period 2014-2024. The analysis uses panel models with fixed effects to examine associations within the same year and changes over the following one, two, and three years.

The estimates provide no statistically significant evidence that greater POIR 1.1.1 exposure is associated with higher busi ness-financed R&D intensity in the same year or subsequent increases over one to three years. Larger new-project impuls es are associated with greater active programme exposure mainly during the following two years, but their association with subsequent increases in business-financed R&D intensity is not statistically significant. The regional evidence there fore does not establish additional mobilisation of business-sector R&D financing, but cannot rule out such a response.

The study also finds evidence of regional beta-convergence: business-financed R&D intensity grew faster in regions with lower initial levels. Neither the full-period analysis nor the analysis for the post-2016 period provides statistically signifi cant evidence linking this convergence to POIR support. Given the observational design, the findings should be interpret ed as regional associations rather than causal programme effects.

Keywords:

Additionality, R&D subsidies, cohesion policy, regional convergence, Poland.

How to Cite:

Jarosław Kamiński and Weronika Wesołowska. Public R&D Support under Poland’s Smart Growth Operational Programme and Business-Financed R&D in Polish Regions. [ref]: vol.24.2026. available at: https://refpress.org/ref-vol24-a14