Geography of Innovation in European Area Through Patent Statistic
[1]
Kouskourida Eirini-Zoi, Department of Planning and Regional Development, School of Engineering, University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece.
[2]
Christina J. Roussi-Vergou, Practical Training Office of the University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece.
This paper aims to explore the spatial distribution of innovative activity at regional level for the whole European territory, through patent statistics. Innovation has become a very important factor to economic growth and to improvement of technology both at regional and national level. The important role of innovation is presented through the effects of the introduction and diffusion of major technological discoveries and inventions in industry and the world economy. This paper examines through theoretical and empirical analysis both agglomeration and disparities of innovation activities throughout time in Europe. The empirical analysis is based on patent data from OECD (1998-2011) for 31 countries and 890 sub-units (regions). Patent data seems to be the appropriate indicator giving us information about inventors’ resident in order to geo-localize innovation activity, The paper is structured as follows: Section one discusses the theoretical and empirical framework of innovation and regional development in relation to patent. Section two describes the data that has been used and the methodology that has been followed in the study. The analysis is based on patent data from the OECD patent database from 1998-2011. Section three presents the empirical results of the study. European regions classification based on their patent stocks, growth, contribution to European innovation activity and concentration. There is a classification both on top twenty innovative countries and regions. Conclusions are briefly presented in section four.
Patent Data, Innovation Activity, R & D in Europe
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