ESRI Research Seminars 2024/2025 Programme

The ESRI organises monthly research seminars, inviting researchers from institutions and universities to present new research. The seminar series provides access to specialised knowledge and new research methodologies, to promote research excellence and knowledge exchange.

Next seminar: Wednesday, 16 October at 12.00pm

Jurate Jaraite-Kazukauske (University of Villnius)

Title: "Innovation Under Dual Policies: The Impact of R&D Subsidies and Emissions Trading on Green Patenting in Sweden"

Abstract 

This paper examines the combined effects of public innovation subsidies and the European Union’s
Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS) on green patenting by industrial firms in Sweden. Our results show
that high levels of innovation subsidies significantly enhance green patenting, while low subsidy levels have
no effect, suggesting that a threshold level of support is necessary to stimulate meaningful innovation.
Additionally, firms participating in the EU ETS tend to produce fewer, narrower, and less-cited green
patents than non-ETS firms, indicating that their innovations may focus more on emissions reduction
rather than on broader commercialization. No significant combined effects of innovation subsidies and
the ETS at the firm level were identified. These findings imply that, while environmental policies like the
EU ETS create demand for green innovation, substantial subsidy support is essential to overcome market
failures and promote the development and patenting of green technologies.