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Technological specialisation index
Definition
The technological specialisation index (expressed as a positive number) is defined as:
patent share – or patent application share – of an actor (institution, country, etc.) for a technological field and within a given frame of reference (world for example) proportional to its overall patent share – or patent application share – for all fields within the same frame of reference.
Example 1
Figure 2-8
Technological specialisation index by field for European patent applications for the top three regions in France – Ile-de-France, Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur - in 2004.
- Click to enlarge (taken from the OST Report – 2006 edition)
Interpretation: Concerning patent applications in the European patent system, the region Ile-de-France is specialised in Pharmaceutics/Biotechnologies, Rhône-Alpes in Chemistry/Materials and in Consumer Goods / Construction, and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur in Electronics/Electricity.
Example 2
Table 3-4-62
France, Germany, the United Kingdom – technological production – world share of European patent applications and technological specialisation index by field (2004) and change over the period 1999 to 2004.
- Click to enlarge (taken from the OST Report – 2006 edition)
Interpretation: Specialisation indexes for France in the fields analysed confirm observations made of a clear specialisation in Machines/Mechanics/Transportation (indicator = 1.31) and in Consumer Goods / Construction (1.27), and also of an under-specialisation in the field of Instrumentation (0.79). In Pharmaceutics/Biotechnologies France has a slight specialisation (1.06).