3-4 September 2008, Vienna, Austria

This conference is organised by the European Patent Office and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
in co-operation with DIME Network of Excellence, Eurostat, JPO, NSF, USPTO and WIPO

Background

Patent data are one mean for measuring innovation and science and technology (S&T) related activities. The demand for patent statistics has been increasing substantially as innovation is becoming a major driving force in economic performance of companies and countries. At the same time, recent advances in patent data such as the EPO Worldwide Patent Statistical Database (PATSTAT) have expanded considerably the possibilities for statistical analysis and research.

The goal of this conference is to reflect recent advances in the analysis of innovation with patent statistics. It aims at gathering original analytical investigations that build on recent data and address relevant questions for companies and policy makers including valuation of patents, patenting strategies, the links between technology and markets, patenting activity by universities and entrepreneurship. In particular, the conference will emphasize how data can be used to examine innovation and the use of patents by companies and what lessons can be learned from the link of patent data to other indicators of innovation and economic data (R&D data, bibliometrics, licensing, business surveys, corporate accounting, etc.)

Target groups

The event is targeted at experts, statisticians and analysts working in the fields of innovation, patents, and science and technology policies, including:

• Academics and researchers using patent data for economic and policy analysis
• Policy analysts dealing with innovation and patent policies
• National, regional and international patent institutions
• Business professionals specialising in patent statistics and valuation
• Business and intellectual property analysts  

Topics of Interest

• Valuation of patents:  methods and analysis on the monetary value of patents, patent portfolios, links to company economic performance, investment in knowledge, etc.
• Geography of innovation: regional and global networks of innovation; dispersion of knowledge and diffusion of technologies, regional ties and specialisation..
• Patenting strategies: strategic uses of patents, international patenting by companies, construction of patent portfolio, renewal (maintenance of patents)...
• Business dynamics: entry and exit of companies and their relationship to technology; innovation strategies by companies (e.g. interfirm co-operation, merger and acquisitions,..).
• Emerging and evolving technology fields: technological change in environmental technologies, nanotechnology..; what are the sources of knowledge, who innovates in these fields, etc.
• University patenting activity and entrepreneurship: faculty-industry mobility, faculty patenting and spinoffs,  which inventions are transferred to industry, etc.
• Technology markets: licensing of patents by companies, determinants and obstacles to licensing, licensing activity and their impact on R&D and innovation, etc.

Confirmed speakers

• Katrin Cremers (ZEW, Mannheim)
• Stuart Graham (Georgia Tech, US)
• Wolfgang Polt (Joanneum, Vienna)
• Bruno van Pottelsberghe (ULB, Brussels)
• Bart Verspagen (Maastricht University)

Location of the event

Rennaissance Wien Hotel
Linke Wienzeile/Ullmannstrasse 71
Vienna, 1150 Austria
Tel:  43 1 891020
Fax:  43 1 89102100

Submission

DIME and non DIME members are invited to submit a paper or at least an extended abstract to Paola Giuri (paola.giuri<at>unibo.it) and Myriam Mariani (marianim<at>unibocconi.it) - please replace <at> with @.

Deadlines

• Submission deadline: June 22, 2008.
• Notifications on acceptance:  June 30, 2008. Participants presenting a paper are asked to submit a full text version not later than August 1st, 2008.

Conference website

• http://www.epo.org/about-us/events/patent-statistics2008.html