The role of academic inventors in technological innovation and knowledge diffusion in Sweden: The case of nanotech Industry

Abstract

The master thesis project investigates the relationship between academics and the local industry as well as the effect this relationship has to the academic productivity. Nowadays, University-Industry interaction is a common phenomenon in advanced economies. Companies are looking for technological innovation outside the organizational boundaries and universities provide them with the opportunity to acquire and develop new technological innovations. This paper investigates Swedish academic’s involvement in private firms. The paper does not include a cross-sectional analysis for Swedish academics but emphasizes in academics that are involved with nanotechnology. The project examines a dataset of 114 academics in total, 57 authors and 57 authors-inventors. The initial dataset includes data regarding to academics’ patents, publications, links and total citations. The dataset was extended including data regarding to academics’ participation in private firms and their professional network. The master thesis project investigates the relationship between academic productivity and academic’s participation in companies. Also, the paper examines the degree to which academic inventors develop and commercialize their ideas with the help of private firms. Furthermore, the relationship between professional networking and academic productivity was also examined in the current project. Quantivative methods of analysis are used in order to address the research questions and lead to a valid conclusion.