New publication on the impact of spatial innovation ecosystems on the development of digital technologies

A new study by Ann Hipp (Thünen Institute) and Enno Kohlisch (German Economic Institute) examines the composition of the spatial innovation ecosystem of organizations for the development of digital technologies in Germany. The authors analyzed 411,389 patents from the German and European Patent Offices filed by 53,627 organizations in Germany between 2010 and 2021. Using a new method, 57,627 patents in the field of digitalization were identified and analyzed using a multilevel model.

The results show that the probability of developing a digitalization patent is higher for large firms than for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Digitalization patents are in 94 % applied for by firms, that is 6 % by SMEs and 88 % by large firms; only 6% of these applications are submitted by universities and public research institutes. The highest number of digitalization patents is produced by large firms from the automotive and electrical sector like Robert Bosch GmbH and Siemens AG; each alone produces substantially more digitalization patents than the other actors combined (i.e. universities and public research institutes).

Furthermore, an ecosystem of applied research organizations and universities as well as technology subsidies increases patent success of large firms in this field compared to more established technologies. SMEs, in contrast, only play a minor role in the development of digital technology, and the impact of their ecosystems and subsidies is less obvious.

Overall, the study hints to the various barriers to innovation that SMEs face in generating digitalization patents and provides important recommendations for technology managers and policymakers to support the transformation towards digitalization.

The study was published in the journal Technological Forecasting and Social Change under the title “Successful digital technology development: A multilevel and spatial approach on organizations and their ecosystems.” 

Contact: Dr. Ann Hipp