Analysis of Chain-linked Effects of Public Policy

This publication presents the results of an Impact Analysis. The analysis concerns the impact of public research funded by Vinnova and its two predecessors – Styrelsen för Teknisk Utveckling (STU) and Närings- och teknikutvecklingsverket (Nutek) – in two fields of life science, namely, Innovative food and Medical technology.

The analysis deals with impact on research and industry respectively. The main focus is on how and why public policy can induce changes over a long period of time within research and industry. A main issue is focused around the idea of using public policy to shift the trajectory, or the general direction of research and industry development, of an innovation system. The impact of STU/Nutek/Vinnova's research initiatives are identified, described and analyzed using a so-called effect chain approach within a sectoral system of innovation, according to which different types of effects take place at several levels, with follow-on effects and feedback loops.