Selecting Innovation Funding Mechanisms: A Framework for Policymakers
The authors thank Patrick Collard and Maxwell Tabarrok for research assistance, Sarrin Chethik for contributions to this paper and the companion tool, Jana Gallus and Heidi Williams for guidance on the project from early stages, and participants at the 2026 NBER Entrepreneurship and Innovation Policy and the Economy Conference for helpful comments. The paper benefitted from the suggestions of editors Ben Jones and Josh Lerner. All remaining errors are our own. The Institute for Progress gratefully acknowledges support from Coefficient Giving and the Smith Richardson Foundation. The Market Shaping Accelerator gratefully acknowledges support from the Sijbrandij Foundation and the Center for Incentive Design. Snyder gratefully acknowledges support from Coefficient Giving and Irving Institute for Energy and Society at Dartmouth. The “Atlas of Innovation” (Institute for Progress and Market Shaping Accelerator 2026) is an online tool that is a companion for this paper. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Bureau of Economic Research.
