Modeling university innovating strategies through researchers patenting activity analysis: the case of the Italian biotechnology field

Knowledge generation and technological innovation are uncertain, evolutionary, path-dependent and interactive processes, and innovators tend to carry on innovation searching within a familiar bounded knowledge domain. In this paper a method based on patent analysis is used to carry on a longitudinal study aimed at exploring innovation trajectories undertaken by 255 Italian researchers in the biotechnology field. Using data relative to the biotechnology patent portfolios of 36 universities accumulated between 1960 and 2007, the paper investigates to what extent the patenting activity level is dependent on the innovation search strategy pursued by inventors. Indexes of technological familiarity and technological concentration, and collaboration are calculated to analyse innovation strategies, while a regression model is implemented to test hypotheses.