Category Archives: Research Examples

Why do technology firms publish scientific papers? The strategic use of science by small and midsize enterprises in nanotechnology

Research Examples, ST&I policy, Strategic planning

In the emerging technology domain of nanotechnology, a significant portion of small and midsize enterprises contribute to the scientific literature by publishing their research and development results. However, while considerable attention has been paid to patenting by small and midsize technology firms, the underlying business motivations for such firms to publish scientific papers are not well understood. This paper investigates the scientific publishing patterns of smaller firms engaged in nanotechnology and the factors that underlie this phenomenon. Based on an analysis of 85 US small and midsize enterprises with a minimum of four nanotechnology patents or publications, we test three hypotheses about corporate publishing: reputational gains, absorptive capacity, and strategic spillovers. We find that the small and midsize firms in our sample are more likely to publish when their work is associated with public science and when it involves a greater technological focus, but having a university collaborator is not a significant factor. The results from this study of nanotechnology enterprises suggest that small and midsize technology firms selectively manage and disclose their research based on internal developmental and capacity drivers.

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10961-014-9391-6

Author(s): Yin Li, Jan Youtie and Philip Shapira
Organization(s): Georgia Institute of Technology, MIoIR-University of Manchester
Source: The Journal of Technology Transfer
Year: 2015

Nanoparticles applied to antineoplastic agents: a patent landscape

Research Examples, Research profiling,

Recently, research in the field of cancer nanotechnology has made notable progress, and, with the fast development of nanomaterials, new treatment strategies using nanoparticles are being explored that have the potential to overcome existing problems. The present review focuses on patenting as a key indicator of trends in nanoparticles with applications in the treatment of cancer. The impact of cancer on health and the use of nanoparticles are briefly described. Next, a survey of patents filed in the last 14 years is presented, the patents granted in the last four years are identified, and the focus areas of the main applicants are analyzed. The mix of targets identified for patented nanoparticles systems suggests that polymers and proteins are the main focus of the innovative efforts in this field.

Author(s): Iolanda M Fierro, Maria Simone de Menezes Alencar, Flavia Maria Lins Mendes, Cristina d’Urso de Souza Mendes, Bernardo Furtado Nunes, Adelaide Maria de Souza Antunes
Organization(s): National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI-Brazil), Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro
Source: Pharmaceutical Patent Analyst http://www.future-science.com
Year: 2014

Epistemic integration of the European Research Area: The shifting geography of the knowledge base of Finnish research, 1995–2010

Research Examples, ST&I policy

The integration of national research systems is one of the central objectives of European research policies. Yet the epistemic objectives of this project have been poorly defined, and scant attention has been paid to whether political, social and financial integration of the European Research Area (ERA) is accompanied by epistemic integration. We discuss the conceptual framework and methodological practices to monitor research integration, and conclude that most of them, such as research collaboration, are only partial indicators of it. To augment existing approaches with an analysis of epistemic integration, we analyse the geographical sources of knowledge of Finnish research in the period 1995–2010. We show a broad shift towards a European knowledge base, demonstrating epistemic integration into the ERA, and that Finnish researchers are, paradoxically, sourcing knowledge from an increasingly distributed system of European knowledge hubs. As policy implications, we recommend clarifying the ERA’s epistemic objectives and redefining its strategy of ‘reducing fragmentation’.

Author(s): Hannes Toivanen and Arho Suominen
Organization(s): VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
Source: Science and Public Policy
Year: 2014

http://spp.oxfordjournals.org

Full-text  http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Hannes_Toivanen/publication/268771798_Epistemic_integration_of_the_European_Research_Area_The_shifting_geography_of_the_knowledge_base_of_Finnish_research_19952010/links/55d4694e08aec1b042a02ce6.pdf

The Impact of Research Funding on Scientific Outputs: Evidence from Six Smaller European Countries

Citation analysis, Data Type, Funding, Research Examples, Research Type

We investigate the relationships between the citation impacts of scientific papers and the sources of funding which are acknowledged as having supported those publications. We examine several relationships potentially associated with funding including first citation, total citations and the chances of becoming highly cited. Furthermore, we explore evidence on the links between citations and types of funding by organization and also with combined measures of funding. In particular, we examine the relationship between funding intensity and funding variety and citation. Our empirical work focuses on six small advanced European economies, applying a zero inflated negative binomial model to a set of more than 240,000 papers authored by researchers from these countries. We find that funding is not related to the first citation but is significantly related to the number of citations and top percentile citation impact. Additionally, we find that citation impact is positively related to funding variety and negatively related with funding intensity. Finally there is an inverse relationship between the relative frequency of funding and citation impact. The results presented in the paper raise insights for the design of research programs and the structure of research funding and for the behavior and strategies of researchers and sponsoring organizations.

Open Access escholar

Author(s): Abdullah Gök, John Rigby, Philip Shapira
Organization(s): MIoIR Manchester University
Source: Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology
Year: 2014

Use of web mining in studying innovation (full-text)

Data Type, novel source, Research Examples,

As enterprises expand and post increasing information about their business activities on their websites, website data promises to be a valuable source for investigating innovation. This article examines the practicalities and effectiveness of web mining as a research method for innovation studies. We use web mining to explore the R&D activities of 296 UK-based green goods small and mid-size enterprises. We find that website data offers additional insights when compared with other traditional unobtrusive research methods, such as patent and publication analysis. We examine the strengths and limitations of enterprise innovation web mining in terms of a wide range of data quality dimensions, including accuracy, completeness, currency, quantity, flexibility and accessibility. We observe that far more companies in our sample report undertaking R&D activities on their web sites than would be suggested by looking only at conventional data sources. While traditional methods offer information about the early phases of R&D and invention through publications and patents, web mining offers insights that are more downstream in the innovation process. Handling website data is not as easy as alternative data sources, and care needs to be taken in executing search strategies. Website information is also self-reported and companies may vary in their motivations for posting (or not posting) information about their activities on websites. Nonetheless, we find that web mining is a significant and useful complement to current methods, as well as offering novel insights not easily obtained from other unobtrusive sources.

Open Access doi:10.1007/s11192-014-1434-0

Author(s): Abdullah Gök, Alec Waterworth, Philip Shapira
Organization(s): MIoIR-University of Manchester
Source: Scientometrics
Year: 2015

Nanotechnology Research and Innovation in Russia: A Bibliometric Analysis

Research Examples, Research profiling, Research Type

This working paper presents findings from analyses of Russian nanotechnology outputs in publications and patents focusing on developments over the period 1990 through to 2012. The  investigation draws on bibliometric datasets of scientific journal publications and patents and on available secondary English-language and Russian sources. The document provides both an overview and detailed analyses of nanotechnology research and innovation in Russia. The examination of publications highlights sectoral trends, leading authors and organizations, and acknowledgements to funding sources. The analysis of patents adds further evidence about patterns of invention and ownership of intellectual property emanating from research and development in Russian nanotechnology. The analyses in this paper have been undertaken to provide an information base for further research on the current state and trajectory of nanotechnology in Russia and on the broader development of Russia’s innovation system. Comparisons with Chinese publication and patent outputs can be seen in a parallel report on Nanotechnology Research and Innovation in China (2014).

Author(s): Maria Karaulova, Oliver Shackleton, Abdullah Gök, Maxim Kotsemir and Philip Shapira
Organization(s): MIoIR, University of Manchester and National Research University Higher School of Economics
Source: Working Paper, Project on Emerging Technologies, Trajectories and Implications of Next Generation Innovation Systems Development in China and Russia, Manchester Institute of Innovation Research (MIoIR)
Year: 2014

http://www.risingpowers.net/medialibrary/docs/Nanotechnology%20Research-Russia-2014-10.pdf

An overview of animal science research 1945–2011 through science mapping analysis

Research Examples, Research Type, Science mapping

The conceptual structure of the field of Animal Science (AS) research is examined by means of a longitudinal science mapping analysis. The whole of the AS research field is analysed, revealing its conceptual evolution. To this end, an automatic approach to detecting and visualizing hidden themes or topics and their evolution across a consecutive span of years was applied to AS publications of the JCR category ‘Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science’ during the period 1945–2011. This automatic approach was based on a coword analysis and combines performance analysis and science mapping. To observe the conceptual evolution of AS, six consecutive periods were defined: 1945–1969, 1970–1979, 1980–1989, 1990–1999, 2000–2005 and 2006–2011. Research in AS was identified as having focused on ten main thematic areas: ANIMAL-FEEDING, SMALL-RUMINANTS, ANIMAL-REPRODUCTION, DAIRY-PRODUCTION, MEAT-QUALITY, SWINE-PRODUCTION, GENETICS-AND-ANIMAL-BREEDING, POULTRY, ANIMAL-WELFARE and GROWTH-FACTORS-AND-FATTY-ACIDS. The results show how genomic studies gain in weight and integrate with other thematic areas. The whole of AS research has become oriented towards an overall framework in which animal welfare, sustainable management and human health play a major role. All this would affect the future structure and management of livestock farming.

Author(s): A. Rodriguez-Ledesma, M.J. Cobo, C. Lopez-Pujalte and E. Herrera-Viedma
Organization(s): University of Extremadura, University of Cádiz, and University of Granada
Source: Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics
Year: 2014

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jbg.12124/abstract

Patent Landscape Report on Animal Genetic Resources

Data Type, Patents, Research Examples, Research profiling, Research Type

This patent landscape report provides an overview of international patent activity for animal genetic resources for food and agriculture. The research focused on identifying patent activity for 17 animals from 15 species of global importance in food and agriculture. The research covered cattle, buffalo, pigs, sheep, goats, horses, donkeys, bactrian and dromedary camels, llamas and alpacas along with  chickens, ducks and turkeys. The research did not include fish.
The research involved:

  • Text mining over 14 million patent documents from the European Patent Office, the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the Patent Cooperation Treaty for animal names and breed names;
  • Mapping technology clusters involving animals;
  • Identifying patent documents involving animal genetic resources of
    relevance to food and agriculture;
  • Reviewing patent documents for references to breed names and traditional
    knowledge.

The main outcomes of the research are:

  • A quantitative indicator of trends in patent activity for animal genetic
    resources that can be updated and refined over time to respond to policy
    needs;
  • Analysis of the key features of the patent landscape for animal genetic
    resources of relevance to food and agriculture;
  • A detailed set of examples of important patent documents involving
    animal genetic resources to provide evidence to inform policy debates.

Author(s): Paul Oldham, Stephen Hall and Colin Barnes
Organization(s): World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
Source: Patent Landscape Reports Project
http://www.wipo.int/edocs/pubdocs/en/wipo_pub_947_3.pdf
Year:  2014

Museums: Not Just Visiting Spaces but a Driving Force for the Use of Advanced S&T in the Restoration of Artworks

Network analysis, Research Examples, Research profiling, Research Type

Our paper analyses how museums not only play a traditional role in the cultural service but also act as a driving force for the use of science and technology in the conservation of artworks. Through a bibliometric approach and the use of social network analysis (SNA), we explore co-authorship of scientific articles and we detect how museums look for knowledge bases in science and technology. We also differentiate between institutions and geographical regions in order to find patterns in the cooperation with other institutions. Results indicate that European countries are important nodes in the cooperation for restoration and conservation, and patterns of cooperation indicate that museums look for knowledge bases mainly in restoration institutes and other museums in their own countries. This implies that museums look for analytical and synthetic knowledge out of the museums when they need to apply advanced science and technology in restoration.

Author(s): Blanca de-Miguel-Molina, María de-Miguel-Molina and José Albors-Garrigós
Organization(s): Universitat Politècnica de València
Source: Journal of Administrative Sciences and Technology
Year: 2014

http://www.ibimapublishing.com/journals/JAST/2014/539873/539873.pdf

Evolution of the Patent Information World – Challenges of yesterday, today and tomorrow

Data Type, Patents, Research Examples

Highlights

  • Patent information developments 1996–2014 reviewed.
  • Implications of extended and improved search capabilities explored.
  • Language issues, data volume and changing user needs are significant issues.
  • Parallel development of basic raw data searches and of power searches and analysis predicted.

Over the last 18 years, the field of patent information searches has dramatically evolved.
Centralized information centers have started to disappear while new internet applications targeted at end-users have emerged. At the same time, the quantity of information has increased exponentially.  Patent information specialists must now master several high level techniques to run precise searches, but also to analyze the large amounts of information retrieved, using modern software packages. The goal of this paper is to review the major advances over the last 18 years, how we have arrived at the current situation and what will be the future challenges for the industry.

Author(s): Frederic Baudour and  Aalt van de Kuilen
Organization(s): ALLNEX, Abbott Healthcare Products, and Confederation of European Patent information User Groups (CEPIUG)
Source: World Patent Information
Year: 2014

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0172219014001380