Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Schoenmakers, Wilfred
Author-Email: wilfred.schoenmakers@uhasselt.be
Author-Workplace-Name: Hasselt University
Author-Name: Duysters, Geert
Author-Email: duysters@merit.unu.edu
Author-Workplace-Name: UNU-MERIT
Author-Name: Vanhaverbeke, Wim
Author-Email: wim.vanhaverbeke@uhasselt.be
Author-Workplace-Name: Hasselt University
Title: Radical versus Non-Radical Inventions
Abstract: This paper looks at the special characteristics of radical inventions. 
	 It tries to identify those variables that differentiate radical 
	 inventions from non-radical inventions. Since radical inventions are 
	 very important for the economy as a whole and for the individual firm 
	 performances, understanding what makes radical inventions differ from 
	 non-radical inventions is very important. For our research we made use 
	 of the EPO (European Patent Office) database on patents. We used the 
	 number of forward patent citations per patent to identify radical from 
	 non-radical inventions. For our analysis we used the backward patent 
	 citations per patent. In order to test if the two groups we are 
	 considering are truly different and to see on what factors they differ 
	 we made use of discriminant function analysis. Some of our main 
	 conclusions are that radical inventions are to a higher degree based on 
	 existing knowledge than non-radical inventions. Also the combination of 
	 emergent and mature knowledge is more important for radical inventions. 
	 A further result that follows from our analysis is that radical 
	 inventions are induced by the recombination over more knowledge domains 
	 as compared to non-radical inventions. Our research hints also on the 
	 importance of alliances and an open innovation system for the 
	 development of radical inventions.
Classification-JEL: O30, O31, O32, O33, O34, D83 
Keywords: radical inventions, patents, organizational learning, alliances 
Series: UNU-MERIT Working Papers
Creation-Date: 2008
Number: 2008-036
File-URL: https://unu-merit.nl/publications/wppdf/2008/wp2008-036.pdf
File-Format: application/pdf
File-Size: 275 Kb
Handle: RePEc:unm:unumer:2008036