The impact of collaboration diversity and joint experience on the reiteration of university co-patents

Abstract

Numerous studies have demonstrated the central role of universities in the development of innovation ecosystems, however the literature on the manner in which universities might construct and maintain their R&D collaborations is highly limited. The present study addresses this gap, analyzing the propensity of Italian universities to reiterate co-patenting with other organizations which have been co-applicants of their previous patents. Utilizing multi-level modeling, the study confirms the importance of collaboration diversity in the development of further co-patents, even if its effect changes in accordance with the specific dimension under analysis. Besides, the study demonstrates that joint experience in co-patenting has an inverted U-shaped effect on the development of further co-patents by the same co-applicant organizations. These results suggest the usefulness of a dynamic approach in the analysis of R&D collaborations, which could shed light also to the non-linear and varying impact of cognitive distance on innovation, as highlighted by the previous literature. In general, this study favors a better understanding of value creation and value capture processes in university co-patenting, thus allowing the development of useful policy indications.