Specific Technological Fields Research Articles

Estimating the Licensing Probabilities in the Academic Context: An Empirical Analysis

Licensing technologies are one of the main ways to produce and bring academic research to society. Despite previous studies’ dedicated efforts to identify licensing probabilities, the question of how the expertise and prestige that a university has in a given technological field influences the licensing probabilities is still little addressed. This article aims to identify information in patent documents to estimate the probabilities of licensing technologies produced at the university. For that, we performed a data mining of licensed and unlicensed patents from an important Brazilian University (n = 1,578). We estimated the licensing probabilities using the Logistic Regression technique, based on the Maximum Likelihood Estimation. The results suggest that the variables of know-how in the main field and Technological strength in the main field are the most important/influential variables in estimating the probabilities of licensing a given patent. The main conclusion obtained from the results is that: universities, to obtain more licenses, must increase their know-how (expertise) in some technological fields, maintaining a reasonable level between specialization and diversification. Additionally, the higher the citations received (prestige/recognition) by a university in a given technological field, the greater the probability of patent licensing in that technological field. In terms of practical contributions, this study suggests that: investments in specific technological fields generate more competitive advantages for the university and, thus, more technological successes.

Background and Perspectives on the Utilization of Canes' and Bunch Stems' Residues from Wine Industry as Sources of Bioactive Phenolic Compounds.

Viticulture activity produces a significant amount of grapevine woody byproducts, such as bunch stems and canes, which constitute potential sources of a wide range of phenolic compounds (PCs) with purported applications. Recently, the study of these byproducts has been increased as a source of health-promoting phytochemicals. Antioxidant, antimicrobial, antifungal, and antiaging properties have been reported, with most of these effects being linked to the high content of PCs with antioxidant properties. This Review summarizes the data related to the qualitative and quantitative composition of PCs recovered from canes and bunch stems side streams of the wine industry, the influence that the different environmental and storage conditions have on the final concentration of PCs, and the current reported applications in specific technological fields. The objective is to give a complete valuation of the key factors to consider, starting from the field to the final extracts, to attain the most suitable and stable characterized product.

Research and development intensive clusters and regional competitiveness

AbstractModern cluster theory provides reasons for positive external effects that accrue from the interaction of spatially proximate firms operating in common and related fields of economic activity. In this paper, we examine the impact of R&D‐intensive clusters as a key factor of regional competitiveness on productivity growth. In relying on a hybrid approach of cluster identification, we examine effects of cluster specialization and diversity for a panel of German NUTS‐3 regions in 2003–2019. After controlling for regional characteristics and unobserved heterogeneity, a robust cluster strength effect (i.e., specialization) on productivity growth is found within the context of conditional convergence across German regions. With regard to the underlying mechanisms, we find that the presence of multiple R&D‐intensive clusters in specific technological fields is most strongly linked to higher levels of regional productivity growth. We also find that advantages from cluster specialization are strongest in key industrial sector such as automobile production, machinery, chemical and pharmaceutical products. Overall, our estimates particularly highlight the working of Marshallian externalities in productivity dynamics, while Jacobs‐type spillovers tend to be partially realized. These findings indicate that some but not all cluster‐based regional development strategies are promising policy tools to foster regional growth processes.

THE TECHNOLOGICAL EVOLUTION OF FETAL MONITORING IN PREGNANCY CARE

The current context of medical activity demands from obstetricians a broad understanding of the scientific and technological advances. The objective of this article is to reveal the historical evolution of medical practices and technology in a particular field of health, namely the health of the fetus and the medical practices of its follow-up, in the face of the enormous technological advances that have occurred in the supply of cross-cutting technologies with potential use in this particular field. The methodology used was a non-systematic bibliographic review carried out in scientific journals in the medical field, and for the interpretation of the material collected, the approach of sectoral innovation system was adopted, which can be defined as a network of agents that interact in a specific technological field. The main results of the research show that over the centuries, with the advancement of technology, new equipment has been proposed to eliminate the limitations of interobserver interpretation, thus allowing new multicenter randomized studies. Furthermore, it has become clear that the health crisis caused by the Coronavirus limited, broke, and disrupted face-to-face care in all medical fields and served as a springboard for accelerating the use of electronic systems and artificial intelligence in medical care. And finally, it can be observed that the process of technological diffusion encounters several tensions between those who defend remote prenatal care and those who have aversion or distrust towards modernization, excessive medical conservatism, lack of regulation on the subject, and ethical issues that limit its advances.

Core patent forecasting based on graph neural networks with an application in stock markets

ABSTRACT Core patents are the most important in a specific technological field. Forecasting core patents is crucial to understanding the development of technology trends. Traditional approaches are based on structured/unstructured features or patent relationships. However, most previous methods focused on specific aspects of patents. We propose a novel framework based on the potential relationships to forecast core patents. An event study approach is applied to analyze the short-term impact of core patents’ granting events on the stock market. We apply three methods to build framework: a baseline model using traditional features and two graph embeddings. Finally, a classification model is used to predict and compare the effectiveness of different inputs: the traditional patent feature index, and the feature vectors output by the Node2vec and GraphSAGE models. We verify the method with data from the communications and biomedical industries and investigate its application to the stock market. Results demonstrate that the graph-embedding features based on the network are superior to traditional patent features. The graph neural network effectively fuses the two sets of information, and forecasting is improved in all models. And we find that the cumulative abnormal returns from core patents’ granting events outweigh those for non-core (ordinary) patents.

The Algorithm for Refining a Framework of Scientific and Technological Field in Bibliometric Databases on the Example of Synchrotron, Neutron Research and Development

To assess the publication effectiveness of the Federal Scientific and Technical Program for the Development of Synchrotron and Neutron Research and Research Infrastructure for 2019–2027 (Program), its developers proposed the special search query in Web of Science Core Collection (WoS). The purpose of the study is to determine effective approaches to adaptation of the search query providing the most complete coverage of the Program topics publications and applicable to international and domestic databases. In publications from applications for participation in the Program, we identified keywords to validate the search query. We used keyword search in WoS, Scopus, core of Russian Index of Science Citation, identification of publications by using WoS and Scopus APIs, graph building in VOSviewer, Yet Another Keyword Extractor text mining method. On the basis of empirical data, a multistage algorithm was proposed to the formation of a specific scientific and technological field collection of publications in bibliometric databases.

Gas Sensors Based on Titanium Oxides (Review)

Nanostructured titanium compounds have recently been applied in the design of gas sensors. Among titanium compounds, titanium oxides (TiO2) are the most frequently used in gas sensing devices. Therefore, in this review, we are paying significant attention to the variety of allotropic modifications of titanium oxides, which include anatase, rutile, brukite. Very recently, the applicability of non-stoichiometric titanium oxide (TiO2−x)-based layers for the design of gas sensors was demonstrated. For this reason, in this review, we are addressing some research related to the formation of non-stoichiometric titanium oxide (TiO2−x) and Magnéli phase (TinO2n−1)-based layers suitable for sensor design. The most promising titanium compounds and hetero- and nano-structures based on these compounds are discussed. It is also outlined that during the past decade, many new strategies for the synthesis of TiO2 and conducting polymer-based composite materials were developed, which have found some specific application areas. Therefore, in this review, we are highlighting how specific formation methods, which can be used for the formation of TiO2 and conducting polymer composites, can be applied to tune composite characteristics that are leading towards advanced applications in these specific technological fields. The possibility to tune the sensitivity and selectivity of titanium compound-based sensing layers is addressed. In this review, some other recent reviews related to the development of sensors based on titanium oxides are overviewed. Some designs of titanium-based nanomaterials used for the development of sensors are outlined.

Foresight for science and technology parks in the context of smart specialisation

ABSTRACT In recent decades, science and technology parks (STPs) have acquired significant academic and political interest due to their potential to develop regional innovation capacities. Despite their popularity, the impact of STPs has been discussed critically in the literature. One reason behind their unclear impact relates to a lack of alignment between the strategies of STPs and their respective regional contexts. This article contributes to this discussion by demonstrating that the concepts of smart specialisation strategies (S3) and innovation system foresight can help design STP’s innovation strategies that are in alignment with the regional context. This study develops and implements a foresight exercise design to align the function of the STP with the regional context of the Prince of Songkla University Science Park in Thailand. The foresight exercise contributes to policy recommendations for the regional authorities and the STP’s management, focusing on three pillars: collaboration and networks, vertical policy coordination, and the prioritisation of specific technology fields related to the existing industry. Theoretically, the article contributes a new approach to S3 initiation in which STPs play a crucial role.

Investigating emerging hydrogen technology topics and comparing national level technological focus: Patent analysis using a structural topic model

Hydrogen technology has recently attracted great attention as a new energy technology with a potential to transform existing energy systems. However, since hydrogen technology is based on a concept encompassing a broad range of topics, such as hydrogen production, storage, distribution, and utilization, it is difficult for individual field experts to analyze it from an integrated viewpoint. In this study, we used a semiautomated, unsupervised learning approach for patent data analysis to identify specific technology topics in various fields of hydrogen technology and to analyze the technological focus of key countries. Thus, we collected 17 281 hydrogen technology patents from the last decade (2010–2019) from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and input the text in the title and abstract of the collected patents along with their metadata to a structural topic model. Consequently, we identified various hydrogen technology topics estimated based on the co-occurrence pattern of words within patents and represented as probabilistic word distribution. Furthermore, the metadata of the collected patents were used to identify topics that were newer or more impactful and appeared more frequently in patents from a certain country. After identifying technology topics, we also estimated the technology maturity rate (TMR) of each topic to measure its remaining potential. Among the 40 latent technology topics identified from the collected patents, 11 topics showed increasing proportion over time (new and trending) and five topics were highly cited by other patents (impactful). Furthermore, based on the analysis results, implications were presented for hydrogen research and development (R&D) strategy by (1) comparing the technology portfolios of key countries, (2) performing a technology correlation analysis of the identified hydrogen technology topics, and (3) proposing a decision framework for policymakers to categorize identified topics. We found that the primary technological focus was on fuel cell technologies for South Korea and Japan whereas hydrogen production technologies for France and the United States. Furthermore, technological rivalry patterns between key countries may differ notably depending on their specific technology topics or fields, highlighting the need for considering such aspects in developing R&D strategies. Finally, based on the proposed decision framework, we identified which technology topic to continue to focus on and consider easier expansion.

Technology Integration and Analysis Using Boosting and Ensemble

Most of the studies related to technology analysis have focused on one specific technological field such as autonomous driving or blockchain. Most technologies have large and small relationships with each other. Therefore, it is necessary not only to perform technology analysis focusing on one target technology, but also to analyze several integrated technologies at the same time. In this paper, we propose a methodology for integrating technologies and analyzing the integrated technologies. We integrate patent big data for technological integration and use text mining, boosting, and ensemble for integrated technology analysis. To evaluate the performance of proposed method, we search the patent documents related to disaster artificial intelligence (AI) and extended reality (XR). In our case study, we integrate the patent data from disaster AI and XR technologies and analyze the integrated patent data using regression trees, random forest, extreme gradient boosting, and ensemble models. Therefore, we illustrate how our proposed method can be applied to the real domain.

DEPARTURE AND PROMOTION OF U.S. PATENT EXAMINERS: DO PATENT CHARACTERISTICS MATTER?

Using U.S. patent data, we wonder how examiners' career outcomes relate to aspects of the patenting process. We exploit longitudinal information about patents granted by a group of examiners between 1976 and 2006 and their yearly mobility between 1992 and 2006. We find consistent evidence from static, dynamic, and duration models of the importance of granting experience in specific technological fields, repeated interactions with the same inventor, and self‐citations in predicting departure or promotion. We find a positive (negative) association between self‐citation and likelihood of turnover (promotion) and a positive (negative) correlation between interaction with high (low) innovation firms and likelihood of turnover (promotion). (JEL J60, O34, M51)

Technology convergence networks for flexible display application: A comparative analysis of latecomers and leaders

This study investigates whether systematic differences exist between the technology convergence networks of South Korea, a latecomer country in the field of flexible display applications, and Japan, a leading country. Data focusing on materials for flexible display applications were collected from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Co-classification analysis was performed for the two countries’ technology networks. The processed data were then analyzed using cluster and concentration index analyses. Cluster analysis indicates that South Korea has a homogeneous technology field, whereas inter-field technology convergence is active in Japan. The concentration index analysis shows that South Korea focuses on specific technology fields, while Japan actively engages in distributed technology convergence. Thus, this study contributes to understanding technology convergence by clarifying how technology is connected and integrated by latecomer and leader country in the field of flexible display applications.

A structured MPA approach to explore technological core competence, knowledge flow, and technology development through social network patentometrics

Purpose This study aims to propose a methodology by integrating three approaches, namely, internal core technology, external knowledge flow and industrial technology development to help companies improve their decision-making quality for technology planning and enhance their research and development (R&D) portfolio efficiency. Design/methodology/approach The primary focus of this study is thin-film solar technology and patent data is retrieved from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) database. This study presents a methodology based on the proposed integrated analysis method, constructed with patent indicators, centrality analysis of social networks and main path analysis. Findings The results of this study can be itemized as – the core technological competency: companies involved in two specific technology fields have lower strength in R&D portfolio than leading companies with single-core technology. Knowledge flow: most companies in a network are knowledge producers/absorbers and technological development: diverse source and sink nodes were identified in the global main path during 1997-2003, 2004-2010 and 2011-2017. Research limitations/implications Latecomer companies can emulate leaders’ innovation and enhance their technological competence to seek niche technology. Using the global main path, companies monitor outdated technologies that can be replaced by new technologies and aid to plan R&D strategy and implement appropriate strategic decisions avoiding path dependency. Originality/value The knowledge accumulation process helps in identifying the change of position and the role of companies; understanding the trend of industrial technology knowledge helps companies to develop new technology and direct strategic decisions. The novelty of this research lies in the integrated approach of three methods aiding industries to find their internal core technical competencies and identify the external position in the competitive market.

Patent Analysis of the Critical Technology Network of Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers

With the development of 5G, mobile communication, and optical communication technologies, semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) have become an important research topic. However, most SOA-related studies have focused on a technical discussion or market research but have failed to indicate the critical SOA technologies and the SOA technology development trends. Therefore, this study analyzes SOA patents and constructs a technology network for SOA patents. The results indicate that the critical SOA technologies are mainly used in lasers, semiconductor lasers, light guides, electromagnetic wave transmission communication other than radio-wave communication, and devices controlling light sources. Among the five critical SOA technologies, lasers (H01S3) account for the highest percentage at 22.21%. Consequently, the critical technologies do not focus on specific technology fields but have characteristics of multiple technology fields. In addition, considerable development has occurred in semiconductor lasers in recent years. Finally, patentee analysis indicates that for SOA technologies, the public sector and academia play relatively weak roles in early technology development or following technology development. However, with the rapid development of mobile communication and optical communication, the government of each country can consider investing additional R&D funds and resources in the future. This study constructs a network model for patent technologies to explore the development tendencies for SOA technologies. This model can be used as a reference for R&D resource management and the promotion of new technologies.

Search for the Developing Trends by Patent Analysis: A Case Study of Lithium-Ion Battery Electrolytes

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are now used in electric vehicles (EVs), and the electrolyte is one of the major components governing the performance of LIBs. The patent count-based method or patent indicator was used to understand the development status of the specific technology field. However, these approaches cannot provide a complete picture to realize the technology development. Therefore, the goal of this work is to develop a holistic approach to identify technological development trends. The top six patent assignees are first selected by an issued patent counts analysis, including Ube, Mitsubishi Chem., Panasonic, Sony, LG Chem., and Samsung SDI. The “modified” Ernst indicators are applied to reflect different innovation strategies among these patent assignees. The forward-citation analysis and technology-function matrix show that using mixed lithium salts and organic solvents with novel additives compounds are the developing trends to improve the performance of LIBs. The multi-dimensional scaling shows technological similarities among these six companies. The developed approaches can be used to obtain a better overview for electrolyte technology and be also applicable to other technological fields.

Large magnetocaloric effect, magnetic and electronic properties in Ho3Pd2 compound: Ab initio calculations and Monte Carlo simulations

The binary intermetallic Ho3Pd2, crystallize in an U3Si2-type tetragonal structure with the tP10, space group P4/mbm (no. 127). On the basis of Monte Carlo Simulations and ab initio calculations, we have studied the magnetism of the Ho3Pd2 compound. We show that the Ho3Pd2 is electronically stable. It has a ferromagnetic (FM) metallic with 84% spin polarization. The exchange energy calculated between the magnetic configurations confirms that the ground state FM is more stable than the antiferromagnetic (AFM) states. The total magnetic moment and the exchange couplings are deduced from ab initio calculations lead, using Monte Carlo simulations, to a quantitative agreement with the experimental transition temperatures. The maximum value of the magnetic entropy change was obtained near the paramagnetic (PM)-FM transition at transition temperature 9.6 k equal to 18.60 J.kg−1.K−1 for magnetic field ΔH = 5 T. These results are more consistent with the experimental results. Our results suggest that this material is a promising candidate for applications in specific technological fields at low temperatures and moderate fields. The relative cooling power and adiabatic temperature change of Ho3Pd2 compound have been calculated for different values of magnetic field. The obtained value for ΔH = 5 T is 230 J/kg. Arrott plots analysis reveals that our materials exhibit a second order magnetic phase transition.

Revealing Development Trends and Key 5G Photonic Technologies Using Patent Analysis

In recent years, 5G photonic technology has gradually gained increased attention from scholars. However, studies on 5G photonic technology have mostly focused on technological discussions or market development research, but have failed to identify the relevant key technologies from a comprehensive perspective. In particular, 5G photonic technology is an interdisciplinary technology that could create considerable potential business opportunities in the future, therefore, identifying related key technologies is crucial. Accordingly, the patents of 5G photonic technologies were used as the basis for analysis in this study, and a patent technology network for such technologies was constructed using network analysis. The results showed that the key technologies of 5G photonic technology are mainly related to optics, nanostructures, semiconductors, and material analysis, indicating an interdisciplinary feature instead of focusing only on one specific technological field. Additionally, the relevant technologies that have seen active development in recent years are mainly related to optical elements and semiconductor devices. Finally, a patentee analysis demonstrated that information technology companies were the key players in the development of 5G photonic technologies, and the semiconductor industry will have a crucial role in the development of such technologies. In this study, a patent technology network model was constructed to explore the development trend of 5G photonic technologies, thereby providing a reference for the government to promote these emerging technologies.

What is New Technology and what Technology is New? Definitions of Emerging Technology in Policy Documents and Global Corporate Communication

[full article and abstract in Lithuanian; abstract in English]
 This article addresses the two-fold problem faced by the researchers of emerging technologies. First, the problem of definition: which term is appropriate to define new technologies; and second, what principles and methods are appropriate to classify a certain technology as new or emerging. Locally, this problem is also relevant, because the definitions of new technologies and the actual technologies are rarely discussed by Lithuanian researchers. To fill this gap, exploratory research has been conducted to compare definitions and the technological content of new technologies in international policy documents and the corporate websites of global corporations leading in research and development investments.
 Focusing on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Commis­sion (EC), a policy document analysis showed that the term high technology, which dominated the discourse in the 1980s and well into the 1990s, has since been eclipsed by innovations and sustainable development, moving from an economy-centered approach to a focus on the qualitative aspects of technology development and its social impact. Within policy documents, various quantitative variables are applied to measure technology development at the level of regions, states or specific technological fields, such as the intensity of investments in research and development or the fields in which explosive growths of worldwide patents occur. However, a variety of methodological implications limit the use of this data to map the emergence and the potential impact of more specific technologies, rather than wide fields of development.
 The website content of globally operating corporations known for being the leaders of business investment in R&D shows that the corporate discourse focuses on a rhetoric of progress and global impact as the main driving force of technological development. Commercially prospective technologies, as presented on corporate websites, emerged in the following seven technological fields in 2017: pharmaceutics and biotechnology, software engineering, web technologies, social research, electronic engineering, telecommunications, and transportation. This method offers the advantage of analyzing both specific technologies and the broader technological fields they belong to. Also, in contrast to policy documents, the list of new technologies in the corporate context offers several significant insights into the interdisciplinary nature of technological development and the contribution of the major technological fields to overall technological development. Overall, the list highlights the ties between micro- (individual level) and macro-level (society and state) technological impact, the interplay of visible (end-user products) and invisible (inf­rastructure) elements of technological systems. The results reflect the specifics of commercial settings, where new technologies are at a stage of development following fundamental scientific research and preceding mass production and distribution of innovations.
 The differences between technology discourse in policy documents and corporate communication are reflective of a wider split into expert and public discourse, characteristic of the different aims pursued by the respective agents. Findings about the definitions and classifications of new technologies presented in this article may be applied for policy-making in the areas of science, technology and innovation management, research of the social impact of tech­nologies, and critical discussions of the ethical, legal, social and economic implications of technology development before their mass adoption.

Measuring efficiency of innovation using combined Data Envelopment Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling: empirical study in EU regions

The main aim of this paper is to investigate the impact of patent applications, development level, employment level and degree of technological diversity on innovation efficiency. Innovation efficiency is derived by relating innovation inputs and innovation outputs. Expenditures in Research and Development and Human Capital stand for innovation inputs. Technological knowledge diffusion that comes from spatial and technological neighborhood stands for innovation output. We derive innovation efficiency using Data Envelopment Analysis for 192 European regions for a 12-year period (1995–2006). We also examine the impact of patents production, development and employment level and the level of technological diversity on innovation efficiency using Structural Equation Modeling. This paper contributes a method of innovation efficiency estimation in terms of regional knowledge spillovers and causal relationship of efficiency measurement criteria. The study reveals that the regions presenting high innovation activities through patents production have higher innovation efficiency. Additionally, our findings show that the regions characterized by high levels of employment achieve innovation sources exploitation efficiently. Moreover, we find that the level of regional development has both a direct and indirect effect on innovation efficiency. More accurately, transition and less developed regions in terms of per capita GDP present high levels of efficiency if they innovate in specific and limited technological fields. On the other hand, the more developed regions can achieve high innovation efficiency if they follow a more decentralized innovation policy.

Using PageRank in the analysis of technological progress through patents: an illustration for biotechnological inventions

This paper examines whether PageRank algorithms are a valid instrument for the analysis of technical progress in specific technological fields by means of patent citation data. It provides evidence for patent data in biotechnology. Recent literature has been critical with regard to the use of PageRank for the analysis of scientific citation networks. The results reported in this paper indicate, however, that with some minor adaptations and careful interpretation of the results the algorithm can be used to capture some important stylised facts of technical progress and the importance of single patents relatively well especially if compared to indicators based on direct inward citations only.