The Globalization of Academic Entrepreneurship? The Recent Growth (2009-2014) in University Patenting Decomposed

TL;DR

Between 2009 and 2014, university patenting in the US increased significantly, driven by international universities, especially from Asia, with notable contributions from Taiwan, Korea, China, and Japan, reflecting global academic entrepreneurship growth.

Contribution

This study decomposes recent growth in US university patenting by analyzing international contributions and patent class distributions, highlighting the rise of Asian universities in US patent portfolios.

Findings

Foreign university patenting in the US nearly doubled from 2009-2014.

Asian universities, especially from Taiwan, Korea, China, and Japan, dominate foreign patenting.

Chinese universities, notably Tsinghua, hold a large share of patents in the US.

Abstract

The contribution of academia to US patents has become increasingly global. Following a pause, with a relatively flat rate, from 1998 to 2008, the long-term trend of university patenting rising as a share of all patenting has resumed, driven by the internationalization of academic entrepreneurship and the persistence of US university technology transfer. We disaggregate this recent growth in university patenting at the US Patent and Trademark Organization (USPTO) in terms of nations and patent classes. Foreign patenting in the US has almost doubled during the period 2009-2014, mainly due to patenting by universities in Taiwan, Korea, China, and Japan. These nations compete with the US in terms of patent portfolios, whereas most European countries--with the exception of the UK--have more specific portfolios, mainly in the bio-medical fields. In the case of China, Tsinghua University holds 63% of the university patents in USPTO, followed by King Fahd University with 55.2% of the national portfolio.