Fraunhofer-Institut für System- und Innovationsforschung ISI

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Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
  • Publication
    Knowledge proximity and firm innovation
    ( 2020)
    Rammer, Christian
    ;
    Kinne, Jan
    ;
    Blind, Knut orcid-logo
    We analyse the geographic proximity of innovative firms to different types of knowledge sources in an urban environment on a microgeographic scale. Based on a comprehensive panel data set of manufacturing and service firms in the German capital city Berlin, we investigate the characteristics of firms' knowledge environment while differentiating by the type of innovation. Geocoded firm locations at the level of individual addresses allows us to describe the knowledge environment of firms on a very fine microgeographic scale. We find that innovative firms are located in places with higher numbers of same-sector firms, more start-ups and a higher inflow of other firms. They also locate in closer proximity to universities and research institutes. These differences decay rapidly within a few metres (50-250 m), indicating a truly microgeographic scope of knowledge sources in urban environments.
  • Publication
    Patents and corporate credit risk
    ( 2020)
    Frey, Carl Benedikt
    ;
    Neuhäusler, Peter orcid-logo
    ;
    Blind, Knut orcid-logo
    A vast literature documents a positive relationship between patents and companies stock market performance. Nevertheless, evidence on the influence of patents on companies' debt capacity remains sparse. In this article, we examine the relationship between companies' patent portfolios and their credit rating, providing relevant, albeit indirect, evidence on patents as a debt funding mechanism. Using a panel dataset on 155 U.S. firms, we find a positive relationship between companies' credit rating and the size of their patent portfolio. Our indicators for valuable patents, however, provide a mixed picture. While there is a positive link between the average family size of a company's patent portfolio and its credit ratings, we surprisingly find a significant negative relationship between patent forward citations and companies ratings. We hypothesize that this finding is the result of citations being associated with patent lawsuits, potentially incurring substantial losses on creditors.
  • Publication
    What motivates the engineers to patent?
    ( 2020)
    Potekhina, Anna
    ;
    Blind, Knut orcid-logo
    Corporate R&D engineers, being usually the initiators of a patent, are important contributors to the patenting performance of their employers. Hence, patenting motives of R&D engineers encompass an interesting and promising research field. However, the literature on patenting motivation of the engineers in the corporate context is scarce. We apply self-determination theory on human motivation to investigate patenting motives of a sample of local R&D engineers in China employed by a European-based multi-national corporation. Factor analysis reveals four groups of motives: ""reward and recognition"", ""reputation and promotion"", ""making a contribution"" and ""interest and sense of achievement"". The results of multiple hierarchical regression show the influence of working climate on ""making a contribution"" and ""interest and sense of achievement"" motivation factors. Implications for patent management are discussed.
  • Publication
    Standardization and standards as science and innovation indicators
    ( 2019)
    Blind, Knut orcid-logo
    The focus of innovation policies has shifted from knowledge creation and protection (e. g., by patents) to knowledge diffusion (e. g., via open access) in order to promote their implementation. This has led to an increasing need for innovation indicators that reflect the implementation of knowledge within innovative products and services. Standardization as a kind of open innovation process, and standards as its output, represents a new type of innovation indicator. In this chapter, we begin with a discussion of existing opportunities for using standards and standardization as innovation indicators , including three specific examples of input, throughput, and output indicators. Next we identify challenges that must be addressed to close the data gaps-which are still very significant when compared with patent data. In addition, the broader concept of quality infrastructure is introduced in order to point out the complexity of standards implementation, and its close link to innovation as well. The chapter concludes with examples of how decision makers in industry and policy could make use of a comprehensive database of standardization and standards to evaluate innovation policy initiatives.
  • Publication
    Extending the knowledge base of foresight: The contribution of text mining
    ( 2017)
    Kayser, Victoria
    ;
    Blind, Knut orcid-logo
    While the volume of data from heterogeneous sources grows considerably, foresight and its methods rarely benefit from such available data. This work concentrates on textual data and considers its use in foresight to address new research questions and integrate other stakeholders. This textual data can be accessed and systematically examined through text mining which structures and aggregates data in a largely automated manner. By exploiting new data sources (e.g. Twitter, web mining), more actors and views are integrated, and more emphasis is laid on the analysis of social changes. The objective of this article is to explore the potential of text mining for foresight by considering different data sources, text mining approaches, and foresight methods. After clarifying the potential of combining text mining and foresight, examples are outlined for roadmapping and scenario development. As the results show, text mining facilitates the detection and examination of emerging topics and technologies by extending the knowledge base of foresight. Hence, new foresight applications can be designed. In particular, text mining provides a solid base for reflecting on possible futures.
  • Publication
    Standard essential patents to boost financial returns
    ( 2016)
    Pohlmann, Tim
    ;
    Neuhäusler, Peter orcid-logo
    ;
    Blind, Knut orcid-logo
    Numerous innovative applications build upon standardized technologies. These technologies increasingly incorporate standard essential patents (SEPs). It is crucial to own SEPs in order to achieve and maintain significant market shares. We test the influence of owning SEPs on a firm's financial performance. In our analysis, we use a unique dataset of firms participating in international standard setting organizations (SSOs). Our results indicate a curvilinear (inverse U-shaped) relationship of owning SEPs on a firm's return on assets. The curvilinear relationship suggests that firms should balance their patent portfolio by holding a share of patents, which are essential for standards, and by holding a share of patents on technologies that are not standardized. Our results further show that the effects of owning SEPs depend on the specific SSO as well as on the size of the patent portfolio. Our findings are a first step toward identifying and assessing the financial impact of patents essential to standards. Our empirical tests suggest that companies should pursue a common strategy for patenting and standardization to exploit patented inventions in technology fields where standards matter.
  • Publication
    Idiosyncrasies of the software development process and their relation to software patents: Theoretical considerations and empirical evidence
    ( 2003)
    Blind, K. orcid-logo
    ;
    Edler, J. orcid-logo
    In Europe, the future patenting of software-related inventions has been the subject of intensive discussions for some time, since there exists a strong dispute between the supporters on the U.S. practice of allowing patents in order to increase Europe's competitiveness and the opponents postulating negative impacts of patents on the software development process. This paper presents empirical results about the idiosyncrasies of the software development process and tests hypotheses on their impact on the likelihood of patents being obstacles for software development. The paper concludes with the identification of determinants for preferences concerning different possible patent regimes in the future.