Project

An internal research project at Fraunhofer ISI investigated the national criticality of specific technologies from a multidimensional perspective. It developed a patent based methodology that allows not only to establish technologies' current integrative character but combines this perspective with two other equally relevant analytical dimensions..

The developed method first considers a technologies' current criticality for the national technological system by establishing the degree to which it already interfaces with other local relevant domains. Second, it considers its overall general purpose character, i.e. potential to integrate fields, regardless of whether these are locally important or not. Finally, it takes into account their current growth dynamic, to separate static integrators from those with a potential to prompt structural change.

Thus, our new methodology enables us to identify precisely which technologies specific nations would want to potentially support in the attempt to add momentum in areas of strength or, alternatively, to effect transformation in the national economy.

We find that innovation policy may to a degree be interested in strengthening 'naturally emerging' domains that unite all three characteristics, like, in Germany, machine building, e-mobility, electrical machinery and photovoltaics. In addition, it also deals with those technologies that are not well integrated with the national technology system yet but develop dynamically, thus promising to support structural change. In Germany, data processing systems, semiconductors, optics and other emerging technologies fall into that category, as well as technologies from the medical and the biotechnological domain. At the same time, the methodology allows to delineate either group from as such equally central domains, like those around the combustion engine, which, for lack of dynamism, do not offer a future perspective.

In passing, we develop a lucid illustration of how the European technology system integrates around technologies with limited general purpose character whereas in the US and China, technologies tend to be less locally embedded. Also, Europe unites a larger share of patents on "old" technologies with general purpose character but limited dynamics. While in the US and China many technologies are thus positioned as 'technologies with leverage', Europe's system is more strongly characterised by well integreated but potentially less disruptive leverage points. However, Europe features more technologies that combine all three aspects at the same time and may thus be worthy of support to strengthen strengths. Likewise, the share of patent applications in those areas nearly equals that of the US or China.

05.2023-05.2024

Internal Research Project