INNOS&T

Innovative S&T indicators combining patent data and surveys: Empirical models and policy analyses

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'This project aims to develop and collect novel science and technology indicators covering Europe, Japan and the United States. These indicators will be used in empirical models that can contribute to improve European, national and regional policies on the following four topics: 1) Economic use of patents, i.e. unused patents and strategic patents, licensing, entrepreneurship; 2) Science-industry linkages and innovation performance; 3) Gender, education and mobility of inventors, 4) Economic value of patents. The project will carry out the following four sets of activities aimed at the creation of new indicators. First, we will carry out a new survey data collection, PatVal-EU II, which will build on the previous PatVal-EU I survey of inventors. The new survey will interview inventors of about 30,000 EPO patents in 20 European countries and will ask questions about the inventors, the invention process, the motivations to patent, the use and the value of the patent, the links between science and patented inventions. Second, we will carry out two complementary survey data collections in US and JP, PatVal-JP and PatVal-US, by using the questionnaire developed for European inventors. Third, the project will develop indicators for industry-science links based on patent citations to science for all OECD countries, over time, across industries, by firms and by firms to universities and public research institutions. These indicators will be validated through the results of the PatVal-EU II survey. Fourth, we will build complementary indicators at the level of patents (citations, oppositions, etc.), inventors, companies, regions, sectors, that will be integrated with the survey data. The resulting integrated datasets will be used in empirical models and policy assessments on the four topics of this project. In particular, the project will develop adequate empirical methods that take simultaneously into account a variety of factors affecting the impact of policies.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

By investigating the number of patents produced in Europe and beyond through a set of sophisticated indicators, the EU can fine-tune policies to encourage innovation and competitiveness.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Innovation is an important driver of the economy, and is reflected in the use and value of patents that generally emerge from industrialised nations. A closer look at these patents that also considers related angles such as economy, gender, education and mobility enables the EU to design better policies that enhance innovation.

This was the purpose of the EU-funded project 'Innovative S&T indicators combining patent data and surveys: Empirical models and policy analyses' (INNOS&T).

The project documented science and technology indicators in Europe, Japan and the United States to analyse policies and eventually propose new ones. It studied different uses of patents (commercial use, patent licensing, patent sale, etc.) and through the data produced country profiles on patent links to science and technology. This was coupled with studies on how gender, wage and working hours affected innovation and patents.

Key information on innovation indicators came from surveying inventors and analysing patents linked to the European Patent Office in Europe, Israel, Japan and the United States. It also came from existing indicators on patents, publications, companies, inventors, research institutions, sectors and regions. From all the data, the project team built models and analysed policies using innovation indicators.

In addition to enhancing innovation policy, the newly established indicators could help clarify a variety of issues such as the size and type of organisations that favour innovation. They would also help in analysing competitiveness in Europe vs. Japan and the United States, in addition to identifying key sectors or technologies for fostering employment and growth.

Efforts were made to continue disseminating the project results through a series of reports beyond its mandate to various stakeholder groups in order to support innovation-friendly research and ideas. These new, systematic and more specific science and technology indicators will undoubtedly help improve policies on economic use of patents and innovation performance, effectively strengthening links between industry and innovation. Europe's competitiveness and innovation climate will be the beneficiaries of this enterprising endeavour.