Using data from the Argentinean Innovation Surveys of 2005 and 2006, this paper analyse linkages between Firms, Universities and Public Research Organizations (PRO) from the firm viewpoint seeking to fulfil two goals. Firstly, we analyse firms’ drivers for linking to PRO by estimating a Probit model on the propensity to link to PRO. Results suggest that firms’ knowledge capabilities are not drivers for linking. Regarding network capabilities, there is a sort of substitution effect for foreign firms between linking to global and to national partners (or at least PRO). Moreover, there is a substitution effect between PRO and ‘the market’ for information exchange. Secondly, we use propensity score matching techniques to examine whether innovative behaviour and firms’ perceptions about PRO outputs and roles in the NSI were different for linked and unlinked firms. Results indicate that linked firms invest more intensively in all innovative activities (but especially in incorporated technologies), show more predisposition towards innovation, are more prone to patenting, use a lower proportion of internal resources and a higher proportion of PRO resources to finance their innovative activities and tend to value more than unlinked firms PRO research outputs that require geographically close collaboration.