The internationalisation of technology analysed with patent data

This paper presents three new patent-based indicators of internationalisati on of technology reflecting international cooperation in research and the l ocation of research facilities of multinational firms. They witness both an increasing trend towards the globalisation of technology in the OECD area and large cross-country differences in the extent of internationalisation. An empirical analysis shows that the degree of technological internationali sation is higher for small. countries and for countries with low technologi cal intensity. Finally, two countries are more likely to collaborate if the y are geographically close to each other, if they have a similar technologi cal specialisation and if they share a common language. Being member of the European Union involves more cross-border ownership but does not entail mo re research co-operation than it is implied by the above factors. Nordic co untries have a particularly high propensity to collaborate together. (C) 20 01 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.