R&D spending and patents: levers of national development

Abstract

Purpose The level of R&D spending of a country tends to increase the national patent rate and, in consequence, can collaborate with its economic development. However, there are a few empirical studies investigating this phenomenon by comparing countries from all over the globe. The purpose of this paper is to disassemble the sources of R&D spending and identify the role of national patent applications as a mediator in the relationship between R&D spending and national development. Design/methodology/approach Panel data on patent applications in 35 countries of all continents (except Africa) over 15 years (from 1999 to 2013) regarding four levels of national R&D intensity (i.e. by enterprises, governments, higher education institutions and private non-profit organisations), gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, gross national income (GNI) and human development index (HDI) were collected from the OCDE. Then, two-stage panel regressions were conducted to test the hypotheses. Findings The empirical findings indicated that R&D spending from firms and higher education institutions (public and private) help to directly improve national patent applications, thus contributing to the national development (measured by GDP per capita, GNI per capita and HDI). Originality/value The importance of this study was to show that the investments in R&D made by universities and firms are more effective in leading to patent applications, which contributes to promoting national development. With these findings, governments can focus their efforts on stimulating these types of investments if they want to foster the growth of national patent rates.

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“…Little literature exists on the explicit comparison between public funding models for science vs. private funding models, though the analogy of industrial R&D exists. The association between private R&D expenditures and the number of patents is positive, while there is no association between governmental R&D expenditures and the number of patents (Paula & Silva, 2021). The major difference between private and governmental R&D is that private R&D is constrained by the need for the firm to be profitable, which usually leads to them addressing a consumer need.…”

Tecnologias em biocombustíveis na Amazônia - histórico de pesquisas, aplicação e perspectivas para a região

“…Os pesquisadores também têm se dedicado a investigar as perspectivas e os desafios da produção de bioetanol na Amazônia. Diferentes fontes de biomassa, como cana-de-açúcar, mandioca e milho, têm sido avaliadas quanto ao seu potencial para a produção de etanol, considerando aspectos como rendimento, viabilidade econômica e sustentabilidade ambiental (DUTTA et al, 2019;ORTIZ;LOBATO, 2020;PAULA;SILVA, 2021) Além disso, estudos têm se voltado para a produção de biogás na região amazônica, explorando a utilização de resíduos orgânicos, como resíduos agrícolas e de pecuária, para a geração de energia renovável. Essa abordagem contribui para a redução de resíduos e emissões de gases de efeito estufa, além de proporcionar benefícios socioeconômicos para as comunidades locais (KUSS et al, 2015).…”

The Innovation-Based Human Development Index Using PROMETHEE II: The Context of G8 Countries

“…Additionally, the investment in education and science has a more significant impact on countries' ecological situation, which guides and influences public policy [7]. Furthermore, empirical research findings from 35 countries indicated that R&D spending help to directly improve the national patent application, thus contributing to national development [8]. Hence, exploring not only some of the HDI indicators is essential, but also it is important to consider other indexes related to innovation.…”