Tech Bubbles // Does Your Bubble Burst Or Are You Running Out Of Air? by Antje Schimke, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft

Storytelling
In a world of global competition, startup ecosystems and their innovators need to build their ventures based upon their core strengths. The depicted comparison of Europe and China not only shows relative strengths of both regions with regard to the full range of technological fields, but also the technological dominance of China in many areas. Leveraging these technologies into future ventures and innovations has enormous potential for welfare and impact.

Methodology and Data
Methodology is available at WIPO Statistics Database (open source), discussed with IPC and Technology Concordance Table at: http://www.wipo.int/ipstats/en/statistics/patents/pdf/wipo_ipc_technology.pdf.

With the help of database PatBase (https://www.patbase.com), we are able to generate technological fields and profiles for each of the entities in terms of patent data. Hence, to gain additional information on the technology fields that are assigned to patents we use the PatBase, which provides information about published patents and its IPC-classes, e.g. technology field information in terms of IPC-classes.

The WIPO technology concordance table links the International Patent Classification (IPC) symbols with thirty-five fields of technology. The concordance table is updated on a regular basis to reflect revisions to the IPC. With my method, we introduce a variable counting the total number of technology fields (i.e. IPC 4-digit) that are assigned to patent. Furthermore, the method, by contrast, displays the frequency of how often a technology occurs with different technologies.

How does it work?
• Classification of all entities in accordance with their technological focal points
• Mirroring this with the activities of patenting firms so companies with a similar technological position can be identified
• Further development of technology-specific activities and focal points, while observing technological ties, network structure and system dynamics

Results and Benefit
• Studying the technological focal points of countries (i.e. China and Europe)
• Analysis of potential strategic partners and competitors within and between countries
• Identifying potential customers and licensees
• Identifying technology trends in specific countries
• Developing network structures and system dynamics
• Potential idea accelerator

Fields of action
• Benchmarking: Comparing countries and assignees to the technology
• Positioning: supporting information for (new) technological orientation
• Evaluation of technological ties

The entrant has supplied an additional file for this project: [1]