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Is patenting activity impeding the academic performance of South African University researchers?

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  • Lubango, Louis Mitondo
  • Pouris, Anastassios

Abstract

The present study investigates whether activities related to the patenting of inventions impede or are in conflict with the academic performance of university professors, particularly the publication or the production of public knowledge. The Poisson regression model is used taking into account the confounding effects of other variables deemed to affect the publication productivity, viz.; research/faculty orientation, collaboration, etc. The study is conducted in South Africa, where university R&D is highly funded by the private sector, compared to other countries, viz. USA, UK, Germany, etc. Furthermore, within the South African institutions of learning, there are more incentives to publish than to invent. It is found that: (i) inventiveness and academic performance can co-exist and re-enforce each other, (ii) professors who are inventive have a broader network of researchers-collaborators and (iii) perform highly academically (from the NRF-rating perspective) and publish more than those who do not invent at all.

Suggested Citation

  • Lubango, Louis Mitondo & Pouris, Anastassios, 2009. "Is patenting activity impeding the academic performance of South African University researchers?," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 31(3), pages 315-324.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:teinso:v:31:y:2009:i:3:p:315-324
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2009.03.011
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    Cited by:

    1. Nelson Casimiro Zavale & Patrício Vitorino Langa, 2018. "University-industry linkages’ literature on Sub-Saharan Africa: systematic literature review and bibliometric account," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 116(1), pages 1-49, July.
    2. Elisa Barbieri & Lauretta Rubini & Chiara Pollio & Alessandra Micozzi, 2018. "What are the trade-offs of academic entrepreneurship? An investigation on the Italian case," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 43(1), pages 198-221, February.
    3. Motohashi, Kazuyuki & Muramatsu, Shingo, 2012. "Examining the university industry collaboration policy in Japan: Patent analysis," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 149-162.
    4. Anastassios Pouris, 2012. "Scientometric research in South Africa and successful policy instruments," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 91(2), pages 317-325, May.
    5. Landry, Réjean & Saïhi, Malek & Amara, Nabil & Ouimet, Mathieu, 2010. "Evidence on how academics manage their portfolio of knowledge transfer activities," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(10), pages 1387-1403, December.
    6. Lubango, Louis Mitondo & Pouris, Anastassios, 2010. "Is patenting of technical inventions in university sectors impeding the flow of scientific knowledge to the public? a case study of South Africa," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 32(3), pages 241-248.

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