Exploring patent performance and technology interactions of universities, industries, governments and individuals

Abstract

In the era of the fast-paced knowledge economy, patent data may be analyzed to measure technological competitiveness. This paper aims to explore patent performance by indicators and technology interactions based on patent citation of assignee types. This study involved four types of patent assignees (i.e. universities, industries, governments, and individuals) in five technological fields (i.e. computers and communications; drugs and medical; electrical and electronics; chemical; and mechanical) over three periods (i.e. 1997---2001, 2002---2006, and 2007---2011). Four indicators were chosen for analysis of patent performance; they included, patent share, science linkage, current impact index, and citation density. The findings of this study show that among all four assignee types, industries had the highest patent productivity in all fields, and universities had the highest impact in all fields except for drugs and medical. Other interesting phenomena were also observed. Examples include reciprocal technology interactions between universities and governments; low technology interactions of industries in each field; individuals' higher patent performance and technology interactions in the field of drugs and medical.