How credible are innovative business proposals? How likely are investors to fund start-ups and SMEs? Patents are fundamental to protect technologies, but they are also a useful signalling tool. In this podcast, Alberto Di Minin, Professor at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa, tells us how patents can bridge the gap between investors and enterprises. According to a joint Scuola Sant’Anna and Centro Nazionale Ricerche study, business proposals coming from companies with a patent portfolio consistent with the type of activities that they seek financial support for are more likely to get funded. This episode is moderated by Catalina Martínez García, senior researcher in the Institute of Public Goods and Policies at the Spanish National Research Council. Download full research project report: https://www.epo.org/learning/materials/academic-research-programme/research-project-grants.html