Clarivate Analytics has taken a retrospective look at the Top 5 Innovative Universities in South Africa, examining what these institutions are doing in relation to collaborative and industry partners and their conversion of science into innovation. North-West University (NWU), which was not in the top five producers of research articles but was in the top five patent filers, had a filing strategy involving more patent family members per invention than other university. The university’s output of published patents is higher, helping it to attain the #1 position in innovation. NWU demonstrates confidence in its IP portfolio, taking it to the most relevant economies for commercialization.
While some universities had a clear niche area of research expertise, this specialization did not always correspond to patenting activity. This provides evidence that universities aiming to increase their conversion rate into IP should steer more of their research to applied areas.
The analysis also pointed to some interesting examples involving the amount of collaborative patents. The more collaboration a university had, the more diverse its patent portfolio appeared to be.
Overall, the transformation of research into patents appears to have been determined by subjective factors, such as the IP strategy of each university. Embracing the importance of producing high-impact research and focusing on specialty areas are activities that South African universities are already doing very well, and some may opt to increase the number of industry collaborations in order to diversify their patent-portfolio strengths. Evidence suggests, however, that patent filing is reaching a plateau. The most important take-away message for universities is to consider how to increase the rate and quality of research that will ultimately translate into patents filed.
Watch this space – full report to be published soon, in the meantime, read more here
Clarivate Analytics will be discussing the forthcoming Innovation Report in detail at the SARIMA (Southern African Research & Innovation Management Association) Conference from 23 – 25 May 2017 in Windhoek Namibia.
Clarivate Analytics will be discussing this Innovation Report in detail at the SARIMA (Southern African Research & Innovation Management Association) Conference from 23 – 25 May 2017 in Windhoek Namibia.
Other topics to be covered by Clarivate Analytics at this event include:
- Research Information Management Systems – 10 Lessons from the Battlefield, what we learned from 80+ RIMS/CRIS
- Research Proposal Management & Best Practices: utilizing research funds efficiently to produce higher innovation outputs
For more information on partnerships in Africa, please contact:
Zulfaqar Dudhia
Regional Director: IP, Sub-Saharan Africa | Clarivate Analytics
Phone: +27712172794
Email: zulfaqar.dudhia@clarivate.com
