The Dynamics of French Universities in Patent Collaboration Networks

Isabel Cavalli and Charlie Joyez
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Isabel Cavalli: Université Côte d'Azur, France

No 2021-38, GREDEG Working Papers from Groupe de REcherche en Droit, Economie, Gestion (GREDEG CNRS), Université Côte d'Azur, France

Abstract: Innovation is a dynamic process whose complexity lies in networks among heterogeneous actors, with collaboration often ending in patent co-ownership. Governments introduced many policies to redefine the role of universities in research collaboration once acknowledging their value in scientific knowledge. This paper explores how patent co-ownership evolved in France after decisive policy interventions (1999, 2006, 2007). Using French copatent data (1978-2018), we first employ Network Analysis to capture the evolution of centrality of French Universities. We then apply a Dif-in-Dif, incorporating a Propensity Score Matching (PSM), to investigate the potential causal relationship between policy interventions and the evolution of universities' centrality, contrasting with with French Public Research Organizations as well as German and Italian universities. Our results point to the increasing centrality gained by French universities in patenting co-ownership over the years and its essential role, as an innovator actor, in the French innovation system. Although the Innovation Act (1999) positively impacted their centrality, the impact of 2006-on legislation is either null or even negative, offsetting the initial trend.

Keywords: Innovation dynamics; Universities; Collaborative Patents; Network centrality; treatment effect (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C54 D85 O32 O33 O34 O38 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 53 pages
Date: 2021-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cse, nep-eur, nep-ino, nep-ipr, nep-net, nep-sbm, nep-tid and nep-ure
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gre:wpaper:2021-38

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