Today's climate and energy challenges make innovation more necessary than ever. However, market forces alone are probably not leading to a sufficient level of innovation.There is therefore a consensus among economists and public authorities that the social benefits of innovation are greater than the profits received by innovative companies. This is why governments are vying for measures to encourage corporate research and development (R&D). In this report, the authors offer a literature review that outlines what an optimal R&D support policy should be, and identify ways of increasing the impact of public support on private R&D, innovation and commercialization.