Current State of Nanotechnology: Patent Analysis

Abstract

This paper aims at capturing trends in current inventive activities, based on an analysis of nanotechnology-related patents. The analysis addresses questions such as:

•What is the difference between nanotechnology and other conventional technologies? (Particularly in relation to their breadth, sectoral distribution of applicants and international collaboration in invention).

•What is the comparative strength of countries in nanotechnology? (Countries. share in patent applications).

•How do scientific and inventive activities interact in nanotechnology? (Measurement of the ratio of non-patent literature in citations).

•How fast has nanotechnology been evolving over time? (Measurement of time-lags between successive inventions).