Global Collaboration in Technology Sectors during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Patent Review

Eunsook Jeon, Kyungkook Kim, Hyunjeong Park and Keuntae Cho ()
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Eunsook Jeon: Graduate School of Management of Technology, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoburo 2066, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
Kyungkook Kim: Samsung Science & Technology Foundation, 4, 74-gil Seochodaero, Seocho-gu, Seoul 06620, Republic of Korea
Hyunjeong Park: Graduate School of Management of Technology, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoburo 2066, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
Keuntae Cho: Graduate School of Management of Technology, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoburo 2066, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 15, 1-19

Abstract: This study aims to identify the international technology trends and convergence structures that emerged during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic by analyzing COVID-19-related patents. Accordingly, network analysis was performed using data drawn from COVID-19-related patent applications submitted to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) between 2020 and 2022. The results showed that patent applications were submitted in 21 countries, with 97% of all applications coming from the intellectual property 5 (IP5) countries (US, Korea, China, Japan, and Europe). Technology convergence has occurred between the fields of physics and biology or between different biotechnology sectors. Owing to the nature of government-initiated development processes, technologies related to infectious diseases may exhibit a correlation between national patents and disease control policies. This study is significant since it empirically analyzes the convergence structure and development direction of global technologies engaged in overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic by analyzing new patent applications after the COVID-19 outbreak. The findings of this study will help to establish new directions for overcoming other infectious diseases that may emerge in the future.

Keywords: COVID-19; technology convergence; patent; network analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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