Identifying technological competition trends for R&D planning using dynamic patent maps: SAO-based content analysis

Patent maps showing competition trends in technological development can provide valuable input for decision support on research and development (R&D) strategies. By introducing semantic patent analysis with advantages in representing technological objectives and structures, this paper constructs dynamic patent maps to show technological competition trends and describes the strategic functions of the dynamic maps. The proposed maps are based on subject-action-object (SAO) structures that are syntactically ordered sentences extracted using the natural language processing of the patent text; the structures of a patent encode the key findings of the invention and expertise of its inventors. Therefore, this paper introduces a method of constructing dynamic patent maps using SAO-based content analysis of patents and presents several types of dynamic patent maps by combining patent bibliographic information and patent mapping and clustering techniques. Building on the maps, this paper provides further analyses to identify technological areas in which patents have not been granted (“patent vacuums”), areas in which many patents have actively appeared (“technological hot spots”), R&D overlap of technological competitors, and characteristics of patent clusters. The proposed analyses of dynamic patent maps are illustrated using patents related to the synthesis of carbon nanotubes. We expect that the proposed method will aid experts in understanding technological competition trends in the process of formulating R&D strategies.     

Major factors affecting cross-city R&D collaborations in China: evidence from cross-sectional co-patent data between 224 cities

Scientific research activities cluster in cities or towns. Modern cities can play a crucial role in the national or regional innovation system. Strengthening R&D collaboration between cities can contribute to perfectly integrating various regional innovation systems. Using the cross-sectional co-patent data of the Chinese Patent Database as a proxy for R&D collaboration, this paper investigates the spatial patterns of R&D collaborations between 224 Chinese cities and the major factors that affect cross-city R&D collaborations in China. A spatial interaction model was used to examine how spatial, economic, technological and political factors affect cross-city R&D collaborations. The degree of centrality shows that cross-city collaborative R&D activities mainly occur in favored regions, advanced municipalities and coastal regions. The mean collaboration intensity for intra-provincial cross-city collaborations is 4.74; however, for inter-provincial collaborations, it is 0.69. The econometric findings reveal that spatial, economic, technological and political bias factors do yield significant influences on the frequency of cross-city R&D collaboration. Specifically, as evidenced by the model coefficient, it is more likely that R&D collaborations occur among cities that are connected by high-speed railways.     

Bibliometric indicators and the competitive environment of R&D laboratories

The R&D laboratory organization attempts to shape and is influenced by complex and changing environments. New contexts affect the types of evaluation required. Traditional approaches to the R&D laboratory evaluation are thus to be questioned. The changing competitive contexts of R&D organization suggest four worlds of innovation: (i) technology races, (ii) efficiency in technological systems, (iii) technical parity and (iv) market contests. In the emerging competitive arena, the R&D laboratory is evolving toward a network type of organization linked to many different partners and acting as a semi-autonomous business unit. New roles are expected from these kinds of laboratories. They have to develop core strategic competencies, offer competitive outputs, meet clients specifications, create new technology standards and maintain or increase their leadership positions. Bibliometric analysis need to be used in complement with many other methods.     

Do R&D Spinoffs have Higher R&D Productivity? Evidence from Taiwanese Electronics Firms

The startup mode of spinoffs founded by R&D employees (R&D spinoffs) within the same industry is widespread in high-tech industries. The founders usually own specific human capital and key technological capability, enabling them to take the operational risk and to appropriate rewards of innovations under the industrial environment of rapid technological change. Whether high-tech R&D spinoffs, compared to their other spinoff counterparts, have better R&D productivity remains less well explored. According to the conceptual discussion of the advantages of intangible innovation assets embodied in company founders, this study argues that the founders' innovation cognition, knowledge externalities, absorptive capability and routine experience can help R&D spinoffs to have higher R&D productivity. We thus propose three hypotheses that are then empirically tested. Based on a sample of Taiwanese electronics firms, the empirical findings show that R&D spinoffs invest with a higher R&D intensity and on average have more patents issued. More importantly, the microeconometric estimates show that the patent and output elasticities of the R&D of R&D spinoffs are significantly higher than those of other firms, indicating that they actually have higher R&D productivity.     

Offshore versus domestic: Can EM MNCs reach higher R&D quality abroad?

In the current discourse about the technological development of emerging market multinational companies (EM MNCs), the internationalization of research and development (R&D) activities is increasingly discussed as a strategy for catching-up to established MNCs. EM MNCs attempt to use international R&D to tap into technologically superior resources abroad which are not available to them in their home market. This study compares the performance of domestic and offshore R&D activities to look into EM MNCs’ ability to conduct high-quality R&D abroad. We use the Chinese telecommunication equipment manufacturer Huawei as a best practice case study. To map their worldwide patent quality pattern, we propose a multiple-patent-office-approach to ensure a balanced view on their activities with data from SIPO, USPTO and EPO. We also employ three different measures to capture different dimensions of patent quality. The results of the empirical model support the assumption of higher quality for patents with knowledge from advanced offshore locations.     

Optimal diversification for R&;D project portfolios

Diversification of R&D projects not only can reduce overall risk, but also can create value-enhancement effect. A useful guideline for optimal diversification of R&D projects is important to R&D organizations. This paper extends financial portfolio analyses for R&D management particularly incorporating the technology risk. This study uses a survival model to describe the technology risk since termination of an R&D project can be caused by any technology risk factors. A formula of optimal R&D resource allocation that can dynamically achieve the greatest diversification effect is offered. Furthermore we provide an alternative method for estimating correlations between R&D portfolios, which has a critical influence on diversification effect. The method can be useful in risk assessment when measure the exposure of R&D portfolio to particular sources of uncertainty. The evaluation framework for R&D portfolios optimization also can be applied in project-selection decisions.     

Patent evolution in relation to public/private R&D investment and corporate profitability: Evidence from the United States

Summary In this paper we analyze the (historical) co-evolution of technological development and economic progress (by relating public and private R&D investment, patenting, and corporate profitability). We relate to the work ofSchmookler(1966),Griliches(1990),Pakes&Griliches(1980) andPakes(1986) who all have studied the techno-economic interplay by considering patents as in indicator of technological performance. We use United States industry and government data over the period 1953-1998 (45 years). Co-evolution analysis over this period reveals a strong interdependency among the variables. Patent evolution is strongly related to the development of private R&D and corporate profitability; the levels of public and private R&D expenditure in combination with the level of technological output (i.e. patents) have a strong predictive and explanatory power towards corporate profitability (R² value of 94.9%). Causality tests reveal a joint determination between R&D investment and corporate profitability (L=2; p<0.01).     

铜铟硒(CIS)薄膜太阳电池研究进展

介绍了CIS太阳能基本结构和特点，介绍了CIS电池的实验室和工业上的制备方法和工艺；着重阐述了CIS电池的研究历史和现阶段研究情况和性能，尤其说明了国外大公司和研究机构的研究情况，并对国内的研究情况做了简要介绍。     

Offshoring and Improvisational Learning: Empirical Insights into Developing Global R&D Capabilities

This study examines how global research and development (R&D) capabilities develop through improvisational learning. Using empirical insights from two large Swedish multinational companies and their early learning from establishing a captive R&D offshore unit in Bangalore, India, we use multicase inductive analysis to identify how companies cope with challenge related to coordinating R&D across geographically dispersed units through improvisational learning. Using a cooperative stage model analysis, we explain how improvisational learning occurs during the setup, start-up and ongoing stages of establishing captive R&D offshoring operations. We find that improvisational actions lead to developing routines as a response to solving unexpected coordination challenges and help explain how global R&D capabilities develop.     

Comparisons of technological innovation capabilities in the solar photovoltaic industries of Taiwan, China, and Korea

This paper investigates the technological innovation capabilities of the three Asian latecomers—namely Taiwan, China, and Korea—in the emergent solar photovoltaic industry. For this study, I deploy a new dataset of 75,540 solar photovoltaic patents taken out by Taiwan, China and Korea over the period of 31 years (1978–2008) and analyse the evolving technological innovation capabilities revealed in these patents using a set of four technology platforms that I constructed. This study demonstrates the patent portfolios of the three latecomers and explores what extent have the Taiwanese, Chinese, and Korean followers developed their technological innovation capabilities so as to surpass the US, German, and Japan and acquire the leading production positions; and how the variations of technological innovation capabilities among the major producers influence their business activities in the global solar photovoltaic industry. The results show the various strategies adopted by Taiwan, China, and Korea to develop their solar photovoltaic industries, reflect their different national innovation systems involved, and response to the current trends of technology development in the global solar photovoltaic industry.     

How to Manage Complex,Multinational R&D Projects Successfully

Abstract

The globalization of markets, mergers of international companies, and integration of managerial and business processes in global corporations are changing project management fundamentals. A clearly recognizable trend in multinational companies since the mid-1980s has been globalization of R&D and competence portfolios.

Applied development is usually conducted in the form of a distributed project organization. A project team is formed across geographical, organizational, and cultural boundaries, engaging in a project with a global focus. Although a multinational project organization has great potential in many dimensions, there is no doubt that the execution of a distributed high technological project is still a great challenge.

This article identifies success factors in the management of distributed projects with global goals. The authors have focused on the practical experiences of the execution of complex multinational projects in the area of applied system development for power industry.     

The more you spend, the more you get? The effects of R&D and capital expenditures on the patenting activities of biotechnology firms

This paper provides evidence on the mechanisms influencing the patent output of a sample of small and large, entrepreneurial and established biotechnology firms from the input of indirect knowledge acquired from capital expenditures and direct knowledge from in-house R&D. Statistical models of counts are used to analyse the relationship between patent applications and R&D investment and capital expenditures. It focuses on biotechnology in the period 2002–2007 and is based on a unique data set drawn from various sources including the EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard, the European Patent Office (EPO), the US Patent and Trademark Office, and the World Intellectual Property Organisation. The statistical models employed in the paper are Poisson distribution generalisations with the actual distribution of patent counts fitting the negative binomial distribution and gamma distribution very well. Findings support the idea that capital expenditures—taken as equivalent to technical change embodied in new machinery and capital equipment—may also play a crucial role in the development of new patentable items from scientific companies. For EPO patents, this role appears even more important than that played by R&D investment. The overall picture emerging from our analysis of the determinants of patenting in biotechnology is that the innovation process involves a well balanced combination of inputs from both R&D and new machinery and capital equipment.     

Applying an anchor based patent mapping approach: Basic conception and the case of carbon fiber reinforcements

Patent mapping is an important method for analyzing technological patterns both for scientific research and strategic tasks in companies. In this paper we focus on a specific type of technological pattern, namely the analysis of patents' positions in relation to predefined positions of application fields. For this purpose we use an anchoring approach. We apply semantic patent measurement and discuss RadViz as a powerful method to visualize the measurement's results and to provide insightful motion patterns for monitoring technology change. Moreover, we present an algorithm to define so called anchor points as high dimensional reference points by using textual elements of patents. By the example of carbon fiber reinforcements we demonstrate the usefulness of our approach. Thus, our approach enables academics to analyze important types of technological patterns like convergence or divergence by means of a new instrument and gives practitioners like the R&D management of companies the opportunity to build a reliable strategic business decision support.     

Business Group Affiliation and R&D

This paper analyzes whether belonging to a business group enhances firms' propensity for and intensity of R&D based on the greater opportunities to finance and co-ordinate R&D strategies and internalize knowledge spillovers. Compared with the existing literature, this paper has the following novelties: (a) it examines how the organization and diversification of business groups influence the R&D investment of affiliated firms; (b) it analyzes the role of R&D spillovers among affiliated firms; and (c) it distinguishes between propensity for and intensity of R&D. We find that less diversified groups are more likely to centralize R&D, while in more diversified groups firms are more likely to be autonomous. We find that controlled companies are more likely to benefit from knowledge spillovers than firms at the head of the group. Finally, we find that R&D autonomy is significantly associated with both a higher propensity for and intensity of R&D in controlled companies.     

Post-Catch-Up Strategy for Medium-Sized South Korean Firms: Improving Technological Capabilities by Balancing R&D Intensity and Open Innovation

Abstract

This study examines how R&D intensity and open innovation affect the technological capabilities of firms in newly-developed countries, such as South Korea. East Asian latecomers are transitioning from a catch-up phase toward becoming leaders, and they are engaging in open innovation activities to drive this transition. This research quantitatively analyzes three kinds of open innovation activities—outside-in, inside-out, and coupled—to investigate their influence upon technological capabilities, while also considering the effect of R&D intensity. Data from 75 South Korean medium-sized firms were analyzed, and two major findings are reported. First, technological capabilities are enhanced by some open innovation activities and by R&D intensity. Second, R&D intensity negatively moderates the impact of open innovation activities on technological capabilities. Therefore, it may be concluded that firms with relatively low R&D intensity will gain the most benefit from increasing their open innovation activities.     

Using patent analysis to explore corporate growth

This study applies patent analysis to discuss the influences of the three aspects of patent trait—a firm’s revealed technology advantage in its most important technological field (RTA_MIT), relative patent position in its most important technological field (RPP_MIT), and patent share in its most important technological field (PS_MIT)—upon corporate growth and discusses the moderation effect of relative growth rate of its most important technological field (RGR_MIT) in the American pharmaceutical industry. The results demonstrate that the three relationships between corporate growth and the three aspects of patent trait are positive, and verify that RGR_MIT moderates the three relationships. This study suggests that pharmaceutical companies should enhance their R&D capabilities, the degree of leading position, and concentration of R&D investment in their most important technological fields to increase their growth. Finally, this study classifies the pharmaceutical companies into four types, and provides some suggestions to them.     

R&D,Value Chain Location and Firm Performance in the Global Electronics Industry

In today's global electronics industry, innovation is carried out by various value chain participants, including brand-name manufacturers (sometimes called lead firms), contract manufacturers and component suppliers, but there is little understanding of who benefits most from innovation in such networks. This research examines empirically the relationship of R&D spending and location in the value chain (lead vs. non-lead firms) to firm performance in the global electronics industry by using the Electronic Business 300 data set for 2000–2005. Our results show that firms spending more on R&D have higher gross profits, but do not have higher return on equity (ROE) and return on assets (ROA). There is a strong positive relationship between lead firms and performance as measured by gross profit, ROE and ROA, but the relationship between lead firms and gross profit becomes insignificant when the interaction term of R&D and lead firm is included in the analysis. Finally, lead firm status has a positive interaction effect on the relationship between R&D and gross profit. These findings suggest that the relationship of R&D to performance is mixed, but that lead firms can capture higher value (gross profit) from R&D than contract manufacturers and component suppliers.     

An empirical evaluation of industry 4.0 applications of companies in Turkey: The case of a developing country

The main purpose of this paper is to investigate Industry 4.0 applications in companies of Turkey, a developing country. It also aims to determine how the following factors affect the level of Industry 4.0 applications: technological level of products manufactured, the presence of an R&D department, and the size of the company. A specially-designed questionnaire was used in the survey. According to the results of our research, it can be stated that companies that produce highly technological products are more likely to develop Industry 4.0 applications and to implement Industry 4.0 technologies. If companies of developing countries expense more for R&D, it is expected that their readiness for Industry 4.0 transformation will also be higher. According to our survey, productivity is the main benefit expected by Industry 4.0 applications and lack of technical skills and expertise is one of the most important challenge of Industry 4.0 transformation of companies in Turkey.     

Identifying rapidly evolving technological trends for R&;D planning using SAO-based semantic patent networks

Patents constitute an up-to-date source of competitive intelligence in technological development; thus, patent analysis has been a vital tool for identifying technological trends. Patent citation analysis is easy to use, but fundamentally has two main limitations: (1) new patents tend to be less cited than old ones and may miss citations to contemporary patents; (2) citation-based analysis cannot be used for patents in databases which do not require citations. Naturally, citation-based analysis tends to underestimate the importance of new patents and may not work in rapidly-evolving industries in which technology life-cycles are shortening and new inventions are increasingly patented world-wide. As a remedy, this paper proposes a patent network based on semantic patent analysis using subject-action-object (SAO) structures. SAO structures represent the explicit relationships among components used in a patent, and are considered to represent key concepts of the patent or the expertise of the inventor. Based on the internal similarities between patents, the patent network provides the up-to-date status of a given technology. Furthermore, this paper suggests new indices to identify the technological importance of patents, the characteristics of patent clusters, and the technological capabilities of competitors. The proposed method is illustrated using patents related to synthesis of carbon nanotubes. We expect that the proposed procedure and analysis will be incorporated into technology planning processes to assist experts such as researchers and R&D policy makers in rapidly-evolving industries.     

The importance of geographical distance to different types of R&D collaboration in the pharmaceutical industry

ABSTRACT

Innovation within companies is generated by a combination of different types of knowledge from external and geographically dispersed sources. Although the geographical dimension of collaboration has previously been investigated, studies have not distinguished between different types of knowledge involved in collaboration. This article analyses how the number of collaborations between pharmaceutical multinational companies (MNCs) and external organizations is affected by geographical distance, distinguishing between four knowledge types: basic science, clinical science, core knowledge, and exploration knowledge. We use co-publications as a proxy for collaborations. Our results show that collaborations in basic science and core knowledge areas are more negatively affected by geographical distance than collaborations within clinical science and exploration knowledge areas. This suggests that the importance of geographic proximity depends on the type of knowledge that is being transferred in R&D collaborations. Our results have implications for companies´ collaboration strategies and their choices for the R&D sites´ location.