Researchers In R&D And Patent Applications By Residents: A Cross-Country Econometric Analysis

George-Cornel Dumitrescu ()
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George-Cornel Dumitrescu: Institute for World Economy 13 Calea 13 Septembrie, ROMANIA

Global Economic Observer, 2026, vol. 14, issue 1, 42-50

Abstract: A patent application is a relevant indicator of the outcomes of research and development activities and also represents an incentive for firms and countries to invest in such activities for the economic and strategic value of the resulting goods or processes, protected for a certain period of time. In the current geopolitical and economic context, marked by fierce competition, inventions can make the difference between winners and losers on the world stage. This paper investigates the relationship between the number of researchers in R&D and patent applications by residents. It aims to determine the impact of research on innovation in Bulgaria, China, France, Germany, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the US, using quantitative and econometric analyses (log-log, OLS, lag structures and non-linear specifications). The results indicate heterogeneities among the analysed countries, indicating that a high number of researchers in R&D is not enough to boost innovation. China exhibits a statistically significant, linear relationship with the highest positive elasticity between R&D and innovation, indicating an efficient conversion of researchers’ activity into patent applications. France, Germany and the US showed non-linear relationships, whereas Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary registered weaker elasticities and lower research efficiency.

Keywords: R&D; researchers; patent application; innovation; econometrics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C23 O31 O32 O34 O57 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-06
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