Can you give a brief summary of your career to date, and the journey that brought you to the University of Edinburgh Business School?
I completed my PhD in my hometown of Barcelona. After working there for a few years, I moved to the UK to join the University of Birmingham. That move turned out to be significant, not just professionally but personally—I met my wife there, who is Scottish. When we had our first daughter, we felt it was time to move closer to family in Scotland, and I was fortunate enough to secure a post at the University of Edinburgh, a university with the academic standing and vibrant community.
If you had to give your ‘elevator pitch’ and explain your research and/or teaching in layperson’s terms, how would you describe it?
I study how digital technologies are changing the way manufacturing firms operate, innovate, grow and expand internationally. That includes things like how companies use data and manage partnerships. I’m particularly interested in how digitalisation helps firms export and scale up—but also in its potential downsides, like limiting learning or deepening inequalities. I also look at the role of government, for instance how public policies like Research and Development subsidies help build collaborative and innovative local ecosystems.
Is there anything exciting in the pipeline that you're currently working on?
Quite a few things, actually! To name one in particular, I’m currently working on two longitudinal case studies. First, the historical case of Sofina, a Belgian multinational in the energy sector, tracing its international expansion in the early 20th century using archival material from Brussels. It’s been a fascinating deep dive into historical internationalisation processes. I’m also conducting research using the case study of Nvidia Corporation, to explore how established firms manage to reinvent themselves and achieve exponential growth—what we now call "scale-ups." These projects are both challenging and rewarding, and I hope they’ll soon make it into print.
What do you enjoy most about your teaching and/or research? What challenges or excites you across both areas?
What I enjoy most is the overlap—sharing insights from my research with students, and sometimes seeing how their perspectives enrich my understanding. When research is tangible and well connected to real-world challenges, students engage deeply, which makes the classroom experience incredibly dynamic. On the research side, I’m excited by the opportunity to experiment with different methods. While I was trained in quantitative techniques, at the University of Edinburgh I’ve been inspired by excellent colleagues working qualitatively, and I’m learning a lot through these new approaches.
What do you enjoy most about working at UEBS?
UEBS offers an ideal combination: a truly collegial atmosphere, intellectually stimulating colleagues, and motivated, diverse students. It’s a place where both research and teaching are taken seriously, and where collaboration comes naturally.
What advice would you give to your younger self, just about to leave home and embark on further education?
I’d say: be bolder in working on high-impact projects, and trust that research really can make a difference in the world. I’d also advise myself to stay curious about new methods and not be afraid to experiment outside my comfort zone.
What one book, piece of music, and beloved item would you take to a desert island?
For the book, probably something space-related—I’ve always had a quiet fascination with space exploration. For music, any pop music in Spanish or Catalan that reminds me of home. And as for a beloved item, a photo of my family—if they couldn’t be there with me, that would be the most important thing to take.
If you could invite anyone (past or present) over for dinner, who would it be and why?
It would be my father. He passed away from dementia in 2022, a deeply painful experience as we never truly got the chance to say goodbye—by the time the diagnosis came, he was no longer really himself. I’d love the chance to update him on life and tell him about his two wonderful granddaughters.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
If budget weren’t an issue, I’d go to the FIFA World Cup Final next summer in New Jersey. I’m a huge football fan, and attending a final in person would be a dream come true.
Research Spotlight: Dr Ferran Vendrell-Herrero
Dr Ferran Vendrell-Herrero’s research reveals how indirect subsidies can boost collaborative innovation.
Ferran Vendrell-Herrero (Senior Lecturer in International Management) discusses the dynamics of indirect subsidies in stimulating collaborative innovation in the Basque Country. His research challenges the traditional view that such subsidies solely benefit in-house R&amjp;D efforts at individual firms, presenting evidence of enhanced knowledge transfer and cooperative efforts as a result of transferring tax deduction rights between different firms involved in the R&D project. The resultant innovative 64Bis scheme serves as an example to help reshape policy approaches towards fostering innovation.
[Dr Ferran Vendrell-Herrero]
My name is Ferran Vendrell, Senior Lecturer in International Management at the University of Edinburgh Business School. And today I'm going to present the project we’ve been developing in the Basque Country.
The conventional view holds that indirect subsidies like tax credits support R&D only at the firm level, and don't foster collaboration. Yet collaborative innovation is increasingly essential as most firms rely on external knowledge to develop new solutions.
Our research challenges this view. We provide new evidence showing that indirect subsidies can in fact, support collaborative innovation. We combine the 64 Bis scheme in Bizkaia, a Basque province with fiscal autonomy that allows them to experiment in tax policy.
Under this scheme, one beneficiary firm, often a startup, is supported by one or more larger firms acting as financiers. The financier funds the project upfront and receives a tax credit the following year. Our findings suggest that this model promotes greater knowledge transfer than traditional direct subsidies.
Our work supports policymakers in three key areas. First, re-conceptualisation. This policy should be viewed primarily as a tool for stimulating knowledge transfer, not as a way to build large innovation ecosystems, which take decades to materialise and are hard to measure in the short term.
Second, screening selection. We found that in about half of the cases, no real knowledge transfer occurs between the financier and the beneficiary. To address this, we recommend minimising the use of external consultants for matchmaking. Trust and collaboration are stronger when partners already share or network.
Third, follow up. For funded projects, we propose different strategies based on the type of innovation. For example, in highly applied projects involving multiple financiers tends to be more effective.
We've shared a detailed policy briefing with key stakeholders and are planning an event in Bizkaia later this year. A key strength of our project is having Professor Henry Chesbrough from Berkeley, widely known as the father of open innovation, on our team. His involvement adds credibility and helps ensure our research has real policy impact.
64 Bis is a remarkable innovation. I admire how the Basque provinces are willing to take risks and experiment with new tax approaches. That said, initiatives like this often have imperfections that need to be identified and improved. And it's rewarding to contribute as an independent researcher with an external perspective. Working with policymakers to enhance the policy’s effectiveness is truly fulfilling.
If we can reduce the share of project work, no knowledge transfer occurs, it will be a clear sign that the research is making a real difference.
Thank you for listening.
Senior Lecturer in International Management