Innovation from non-industrial sources

Eight thousand therapeutic patent documents originating from non-industrial institutions, published during the past five years, were analysed. Innovat ion in this sector was found to be dominated by US-based entities, principa lly the National Institutes of Health (NM) and the University of California ; the only non-US applicants featuring in the top-20 were INSERM of France and the UK's Medical Research Council (MRC). Patenting levels are increasin g steadily, but direct government involvement in obtaining intellectual pro perty rights may now be declining. Neoplasm and infection followed by neuro logical and cardiovascular disorders, as in the industrial sector, are the principal targets for this sector, although with some differences of emphas is. The University of California's patenting is analysed in detail, in orde r to exemplify the analytical techniques which have been applied to these d ata.