An Exploratory Comparison Study of Inventor-authors with Their Non-patenting Peers in Research Productivity and Influence

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explore the possible link between industrial technology development and scientific research, with specific focus on the development of industrial technology influences the inventor-authors' performance on scientific research. In this study, patenting activity was seen as representation of output of industrial technology; advised theses, funded research projects and journal articles were used as indicators of scientific research outcome. The author tried to examine the patents granted to and research output generated by members affiliated with Taiwanese Universities to reveal the productivity distribution and research performances of inventor-authors and non-patenting peers by taking bibliometrics approach. Patenting Activity Index and Academic Activity Index were used for presenting research output. Results showed that Inventor-authors performed above average both in technology development and research activities. However, it is worth a closer look at the impact of collaboration and research strategies for future researches.