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The Impact of Academic Patenting on the Rate, Quality, and Direction of (Public) Research Output

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  • Pierre Azoulay
  • Waverly Ding
  • Toby Stuart

Abstract

We examine the influence of faculty patenting activity on the rate, quality, and content of public research outputs in a panel dataset spanning the careers of 3,862 academic life scientists. Using inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTW) to account for the dynamics of self-selection into patenting, we find that patenting has a positive effect on the rate of publication of journal articles, but no effect on the quality of these publications. Using several measures of the "patentability" of the content of research papers, we also find that patenters may be shifting their research focus to questions of commercial interest. We conclude that the often-voiced concern that patenting in academe has a nefarious effect on public research output is, at least in its simplest form, misplaced.

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  • Pierre Azoulay & Waverly Ding & Toby Stuart, 2006. "The Impact of Academic Patenting on the Rate, Quality, and Direction of (Public) Research Output," NBER Working Papers 11917, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:11917
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    1. Paula E. Stephan, 2008. "Science and the University: Challenges for Future Research," CESifo Economic Studies, CESifo Group, vol. 54(2), pages 313-324.
    2. Albert N. Link & Christopher J. Ruhm, 2013. "Public knowledge, private knowledge: the intellectual capital of entrepreneurs," Chapters, in: Public Support of Innovation in Entrepreneurial Firms, chapter 7, pages 113-126, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    3. Jerry Thursby & Marie Thursby, 2010. "University Licensing: Harnessing or Tarnishing Faculty Research?," NBER Chapters, in: Innovation Policy and the Economy, Volume 10, pages 159-189, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Czarnitzki, Dirk & Glänzel, Wolfgang & Hussinger, Katrin, 2009. "Heterogeneity of patenting activity and its implications for scientific research," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 26-34, February.
    5. repec:dau:papers:123456789/5016 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Ki-Seok Kwon & Ben R. Martin, 2012. "Synergy or separation mode: the relationship between the academic research and the knowledge-transfer activities of Korean academics," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 90(1), pages 177-200, January.
    7. Pluvia Zuniga, 2011. "The State of Patenting at Research Institutions in Developing Countries: Policy Approaches and Practices," WIPO Economic Research Working Papers 04, World Intellectual Property Organization - Economics and Statistics Division, revised Dec 2011.
    8. Tom Magerman & Bart Looy & Xiaoyan Song, 2010. "Exploring the feasibility and accuracy of Latent Semantic Analysis based text mining techniques to detect similarity between patent documents and scientific publications," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 82(2), pages 289-306, February.
    9. Banal-Estanol, A. & Jofre-Bonet, M. & Meissner, C., 2008. "The Impact of Industry Collaboration on Academic Research Output: A Dynamic Panel Data Analysis," Working Papers 08/14, Department of Economics, City University London.
    10. Dirk Czarnitzki & Katrin Hussinger & Cédric Schneider, 2011. "Commercializing academic research: the quality of faculty patenting," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 20(5), pages 1403-1437, October.
    11. Albert Banal-Estañol & Mireia Jofre-Bonet & Cornelia Meissner, 2008. "Theimpact of industry collaboration on research: Evidence from engineering academics in the UK," Economics Working Papers 1190, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, revised Aug 2010.
    12. Julien Penin, 2010. "On the Consequences of Patenting University Research: Lessons from a Survey of French Academic Inventors," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(5), pages 445-468.
    13. Chok, Jay Inghwee, 2009. "Regulatory dependence and Scientific Advisory Boards," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(5), pages 710-725, June.
    14. Leila Tahmooresnejad & Catherine Beaudry & Andrea Schiffauerova, 2015. "The role of public funding in nanotechnology scientific production: Where Canada stands in comparison to the United States," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 102(1), pages 753-787, January.
    15. repec:wip:wpaper:4 is not listed on IDEAS
    16. Catherine Beaudry & Ramine Kananian, 2013. "Follow the (Industry) Money -- The Impact of Science Networks and Industry-to-University Contracts on Academic Patenting in Nanotechnology and Biotechnology," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(3), pages 241-260, April.
    17. Ani Gerbin & Mateja Drnovsek, 2016. "Determinants and public policy implications of academic-industry knowledge transfer in life sciences: a review and a conceptual framework," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 41(5), pages 979-1076, October.
    18. René Carraz, 2013. "Academic patenting and the scientific enterprise: Lessons from a Japanese university," Working Papers of BETA 2013-12, Bureau d'Economie Théorique et Appliquée, UDS, Strasbourg.
    19. Julien Pénin, 2009. "On the consequences of university patenting: What can we learn by asking directly to academic inventors?," Working Papers of BETA 2009-04, Bureau d'Economie Théorique et Appliquée, UDS, Strasbourg.
    20. Calderini, Mario & Franzoni, Chiara & Vezzulli, Andrea, 2007. "If star scientists do not patent: The effect of productivity, basicness and impact on the decision to patent in the academic world," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 303-319, April.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
    • O32 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Management of Technological Innovation and R&D
    • O34 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Intellectual Property and Intellectual Capital

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