Networks of Inventors in the Chemical Industry

Abstract

By using extremely detailed data on European chemical patents, this work focuses on the micro levelof research networks. It examines the networks of inventors for the development of innovations. Itstudies whether the firm or the geographical proximity among inventors influences the probability thatinventors collaborate, and the attributes of the outcome patents. The results suggest that the firm, andin particular the large multinational company is a good coordination mechanism for fostering suchcollaborations. As for geographical proximity, it matters when the inventors are localised in atechnological cluster.industrial organization ;