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).     

Science cited in patents: A geographic "flow" analysis of bibliographic citation patterns in patents

The interplay and cross-fertilization between science and technology, but also the specific role of science for technological development, have received ample attention in both the research and the policy communities. It is in this context that the concepts of absorptive capacity and knowledge spillovers play an important role. We operationalize the science-technology link by quantifying and modeling bibliographic references to the scientific literature as they occur in patents. This approach allows exploring the associative patterns between science creation (as emerging from the scientific literature) and technology development (as emerging from the patent literature). In the current paper, we focus on an analysis of the geographic distribution of the science citation patterns in patents, singling out two fields of (different) technological development, namely biotechnology and information technology. In both fields, the science citation flows from the European, Japanese and US science bases into USPTO and EPO-patents are explored and modeled. Intensive geographic citation flows between the regions are identified, pointing (amongst others) to the strength of both the US and the European science bases as sources for technological activity and creativity around the world.     

Organizing for Continuous Innovation: On the Sustainability of Ambidextrous Organizations

Organizing for innovation does not present itself as a straightforward exercise. The complexities entailed when implementing an innovation strategy can be related directly to the multitude of objectives it comprises. Recently, several scholars have advanced the notions of semi‐ or quasi‐structures and ambidextrous organizations to handle these multiple requirements. These organizational forms imply the simultaneous presence of different activities, exhibiting differences in technology and market maturation. As a consequence, financial returns will reflect this diversified resource allocation pattern. Moreover, as higher levels of complexity are being introduced; ambidextrous organizations will encounter additional, organizational, costs. Compared to organizations that focus on the most profitable part of the portfolio, ambidextrous organizations – ceteris paribus – tend to be inferior in terms of financial returns. Within this contribution we explore under which conditions ambidextrous organizations can outperform focused firms; considered a prerequisite for their sustainability. In order to do so, we develop an analytical framework depicting the differential value dynamics, focused and ambidextrous firms can enact. Our findings reveal the relevancy of adopting extended time frames as well as introducing interface management practices aimed at cross‐fertilization. Finally, the synergetic potential of (underlying) technologies comes to the forefront as necessary in order for ambidextrous organizations to become sustainable.     

A priori vs. a posteriori normalisation of citation indicators. The case of journal ranking

Two paradigmatic approaches to the normalisation of citation-impact measures are discussed. The results of the mathematical manipulation of standard indicators such as citation means, notably journal Impact Factors, (called a posteriori normalisation) are compared with citation measures obtained from fractional citation counting (called a priori normalisation). The distributions of two subfields of the life sciences and mathematics are chosen for the analysis. It is shown that both methods provide indicators that are useful tools for the comparative assessment of journal citation impact.     

Do science-technology interactions pay off when developing technology?

We investigate the relationship between the science intensity of technology domains and country's performance within these domains. The number of references in patents to scientific articles is considered as an approximation of the science intensity of a technology domain whereas a country's technological performance is measured in terms of its technological productivity (i.e. number of patents per capita). We use USPTO patent-data for eight European countries in ten technological domains. A variance analysis (ANOVA) is applied. Country as an independent variable does not explain a significant portion of the observed variance in science intensity (p=0.25). Technology domain, however, explains a significant portion of the observed variance (p<0.001). Moreover, in science intensive fields we find a positive relation between the science linkage intensity of these fields and the technological productivity of the respective countries involved. These findings seem to suggest the relevancy of designing innovation policies, aimed at fostering interaction between knowledge generating actors and technology producers, in a field specific manner. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Improved author profiling through the use of citation classes

The method of Characteristic Scores and Scales (CSS), previously developed for application at the macro- and meso-level, has been applied to individual author statistics. In particular, two datasets have been used. Firstly, authors with Thomson Reuters Researcher-ID, independently of the field where authors are publishing and, secondly, authors who are active in the field of scientometrics, independently whether they are registered authors or not. The objective is to find a parameter-free solution for citation-impact assessment at this level of aggregation that is insensitive to possible outliers. As in the case of any statistics, the only limitation is the lower bound, which has been set to 10 for the present analysis. The results demonstrate the usefulness of the CSS method at this level while also pointing to some remarkable statistical properties.     

Fluoride pollution caused by an enamel factory in the Flemish countryside of Belgium

A severe case is described of fluoride poisoning in cattle on different farms, caused by the emission of an enamel factory in their vicinity. The paper presents the results of the fluoride analysis during a seven months investigation period in urine and bones of several animals grazing in the surrounding polluted area and also of the forage consumed. The dental lesion studies are described with respect to the beginning and the evolution of the fluoride injury.     

Various aspects of interdisciplinarity in research and how to quantify and measure those

Scientometrics - Interdisciplinary research figures high on today’s policy agendas. This short introduction and overview sketches the complexity of defining and mapping the nature of...