Appraisal of Science and Economic Factors on Total Number of Granted Patents

摘要

The number of granted patents, as an innovation output at macro level, may be influenced by different factors. In this study the total number of granted European patents was analyzed based on key science and economic factors, i.e. innovation potential indicators. Nine input factors were considered: total number of researchers in the higher education sector, total number of researchers in the government sector, total number of researchers in the business enterprise sector, research and development (R&D) expenditure in the higher education sector, R&D expenditure in the government sector, human resources in science and technology, employment rate, unemployment rate and gross domestic expenditure on R&D. The main goal was to determine which factor has the highest impact on the number of the granted patents. The total number of the granted patents belongs to the electrical engineering, instruments, chemistry, mechanical engineering and other fields. Adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) was used as the searching methodology. In general the total number of researchers in the business enterprise sector is the most influential factor for the total number of granted patents.