The Application for and the Awarding of Low-Interest Credits to Finance R&;D Projects

The objective of this paper is twofold: first, to analyze the determinants of firms’ applications for low-interest credits to finance their research and development projects; and second, to study the award decision by the public agency. The results obtained for a sample of Spanish firms suggest that young firms, exporters, companies that belong to a high or medium-tech industry, and especially firms with previous experience in similar programs have a higher probability of applying for a credit. As for the award process, the most important effects are related to the technological and economic potential of the proposal, providing evidence that the agency tries to select the best projects.