Linking Science and Industry: Influence of Scientific Research on Technological Innovation through Patent Citations

TL;DR

This study analyzes how scientific publications influence technological innovation through patent citations across six fields, revealing factors like open access and discipline-specific patterns that affect citation likelihood.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of the factors affecting patent citations of scientific papers, highlighting the roles of open access, discipline, and funding in innovation impact.

Findings

Open access papers are significantly more cited in patents.

Disciplinary differences influence patent citation patterns.

Funding levels negatively correlate with patent citations.

Abstract

This study explores the connection between patent citations and scientific publications across six fields: Biochemistry, Genetics, Pharmacology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Physics. Analysing 117,590 papers from 2014 to 2023, the research emphasises how publication year, open access (OA) status, and discipline influence patent citations. Openly accessible papers, particularly those in hybrid OA journals or green OA repositories, are significantly more likely to be cited in patents, seven times more than those mentioned in blogs, and over twice as likely compared to older publications. However, papers with policy-related references are less frequently cited, indicating that patents may prioritise commercially viable innovations over those addressing societal challenges. Disciplinary differences reveal distinct innovation patterns across sectors. While academic visibility via blogs or platforms like Mendeley increases within scholarly circles, these have limited impact on patent citations. The study also finds that increased funding, possibly tied to applied research trends and fully open access journals, negatively affects patent citations. Social media presence and the number of authors have minimal impact. These findings highlight the complex factors shaping the integration of scientific research into technological innovations.