Wong PK, HO YP, Chan CK "Internationalization and evolution of application areas of an emerging technology: The case of nanotechnology " SCIENTOMETRICS 70 (3). MAR 2007. p.715-737

[Eugene Garfield]

E-mail Addresses: pohkam at nus.edu.sg 

TITLE:          Internationalization and evolution of application areas of 
an emerging technology: The case of nanotechnology 

AUTHOR:         Wong, PK; Ho, YP; Chan, CK

SOURCE:         SCIENTOMETRICS 70 (3). MAR 2007. p.715-737 SPRINGER,
                DORDRECHT

 KEYWORDS+:       SCIENCE; FIELD; INDICATORS; INTERDISCIPLINARITY;
                COLLABORATION; INSTITUTION; NANOSCIENCE; PATTERNS;
                PATENTS; COUNTRY

ABSTRACT:       Nanotechnology patenting has grown rapidly in recent
years as an increasing number of countries are getting into the global 
nanotechnology race. Using a refined methodology to identify and classify 
nanotechnology patents, this paper analyses the changing pattern of 
internationalization of nanotechnology patenting activities from 1976- 
2004. We show that the dominance of the G5 countries have declined in 
recent years, not only in terms of quantity, but also in terms of quality 
as measured by citation indicators. In addition, using a new approach to 
classifying the intended areas of commercial applications, we show that 
nanotechnology patenting initially emphasized instrumentation, but 
exhibited greater diversification to other application areas in recent 
years. Significant differences in application area specialization are also 
found among major nanotechnology nations. Moreover, universities are found 
to play a significant and increasing role in patenting, particularly in US, 
UK and Canada.

AUTHOR ADDRESS: PK Wong, Natl Univ Singapore, Singapore 0511, Singapore