Open Innovation, Tech Mining &

Competitive Technical Intelligence

in the US

Alan Porter
Director of Research and Development
Search Technology, Inc.
&
Co-director
Technology Policy & Assessment Center
Georgia Tech
 Outline

1. Toward Open Innovation

2. Tech Mining to deliver CTI
3. Application Example: Nano
 Innovation?
What is it?
Invention is not innovation
Change in function put into practice -- successfully
Why is it important?
The key to competitive performance of
organizations, of economies
 Technological Innovation:
The Conceptual Bases
Focus on changes in function -- of Products,
Services, Processes, &/or Systems (PSPS)
Draw upon models of technological change
Innovation (life cycle) processes
Technology substitution, transfer & diffusion
See change in a contextual system
Internal Factors
External Forces
 Innovation Models (Many!)
Linear: sequential phases
not true!
but useful to benchmark development
Ecological: complex interplay of phases
recognition important for policy processes
Understanding essential for Management Of
Technology (MOT)
Technology Delivery System (TDS)
Identify what is needed to implement the innovation
 A Linear view of Innovation Processes

Functionality
Incremental Innovation

Maturation

Adoption
Commercial Introduction
New Product Development
Licensing, Collaborative Innovation
Development; Patenting
Basic to Applied Research

Time
Technology Delivery System

Example: What nano-electronics

applications hold greatest promise
for Philips?

Alan Porter, Search Technology, 2006

 Open Innovation
Christenson: Innovators Dilemma
Connect and Develop = shift from NIH
syndrome [Huston & Sakkab, HBR, 2006]
P&Gs open innovation strategy now produces
>35% of their innovations ($Billions in revenue)
Implies a premium on strategic competitive
technical intelligence (CTI)
 Research Arena Contextual Arena
Internal R&D BCMCR
Knowledge
A1 Existing PSPS
The Open Flow
Innovation [via CI]
A2
Model
External R&D
design New PSPS
A3 Incremental
A4 innovation

A5 CTI Really New

design PSPS
B5 Radical
innovation
C5
PSPS = Products, Services, Processes &/or Systems
BCMCR = Business, Competitors, Markets, Customers, Regulations
 How to Effect Open Innovation?
Manage innovation processes systematically.
MOT (Management of Technology) is presently
Piecemeal
Intuitive
Instead, manage better based on strong competitive
technical intelligence - CTI
Those who do so will win
Those who do not will lose
Innovation Mapping can show the way
Understand the system & its key leverage points
Gain external research knowledge
Bring into Design process to exploit business opportunities
 Innovation Mapping
Analogy
You know where you are and your physical
destination
Get a MapQuest Map!
Innovation Analyses for better Management
You know capabilities and identify potential uses
Build Innovation Maps!
 2. Tools: How do you
generate innovation maps?

Tech Mining
Alan L. Porter and Scott W. Cunningham
John Wiley & Sons Inc., 2005
 How to get Management to hear
information-based knowledge products
Define the Management of Technology (MOT) Issues
Break out particular MOT Questions
Identify candidate empirical Indicators

Identify appropriate Identify appropriate

Data Source(s) Analytical Tool(s)
Design Effective composite Representations that can
be rapidly built Answer: who, what, when, where?
Tech Mining
 MOT Issues, Questions & Innovation Indicators
13 MOT Issues 39 MOT Questions ~200 Innovation Indicators
WHAT?
R&D Portfolio 1. Whats hot? Mapping of topic clusters within
Mgt 2. Fit into tech landscape? the technology
R&D Project 3. Drivers? 3-D trend charts for topic
Initiation 4. Competing technologies? clusters
Engr Project 5. Likely development paths? Ratio of conference to journal
Initiation papers (benchmarked)
6. etc.
New Product Scorecard rate-of-change
Development metrics for topic clusters
Strategic Time slices to show evolution of
Planning, topical emphases
etc. Topic growth modeling (S-curve)
fit & extrapolation

WHO?
Pie chart: Company vs.
Academic vs. Government
publishing
Topical main players profiles
Spreading (or constricting) # of
players by topic
 Tech Mining 6 information types

Technical Information Contextual Information

A. ST&I (Science, D. Business, competition,
Technology & customer, popular,
Innovation) Databases policy content
(e.g., Web of Science, Databases (e.g.,
INSPEC, Micropatents) Lexus-Nexus, Factiva)
B. Internet Sources E. Internet Sources (e.g.,
(e.g., Googling) blogs, website
profiling)
C. Technical Expertise F. Business Expertise
 Tech Mining

The Process
Empirical MOT
Indicators Questions

Select Data
Sources and Understanding MOT
Analytical Tools the Question Issues

Information Technology Manager/

Researchers
Professional Analysts User

Developing the
Search & Knowledge
Knowledge Product
Retrieval
Product
Query
Refinement Combine with
Expert Opinion
Analysis
 The Tech Mining Process
1. Understand & scope the question, set in an
Innovation Process context
2. Identify suitable databases
(especially R&D publication or patent abstracts)
3. Search & download topical records [iteration likely]
4. Import into text mining software
(e.g., VantagePoint or Thomson Data Analyzer)
5. Clean the data
6. Analyze, interpret & represent the information
effectively to communicate well
 Innovation Indicators
Technology Life Cycle Indicators
e,g, growth curve location & projection
Innovation Context Indicators
e.g., presence or absence of success factors
(funding, standards, infrastructure, etc.)
Product Value Chain and Market
Prospects Indicators
e.g., applications, sectors engaged
 Nano: Illustration
[Nanoscience & Nanoengineering R&D]
Georgia Tech
In support of NSF Center for Nano in Society
[Arizona State Univ.] &
NSF Partnership for Innovation
[North Carolina State Univ.]; also
EuroNano Project
[sub to SPRU]
 Microscopy Nanotechnology Research Foci & Key Concepts
- Scanning probe microscopy
- Electron microscopy
Self assembly; Directed assembly Metrology &
Nanomechanics Nanoprocesses
Molecular simulation
Scanning probe writing & fabrication
Top-down processes
(nano-lithography, laser nanomachining,
etc.)
Nanostructure
Chemistry & Materials
Nanodevices & Nanoscale chemical structures
Nanocomposites
Nanoelectronics Sol-gels; quasi-crystals
Nanocomputing devices Growth methods
Nanotransistors (epitaxy MBE, CBE,MOCVD)
NEMS; PEBBLES 0D Quantum dots
Molecular electronics 1D Nano/quantum tubes, rods or fibers;
Nanoscale magnetics nanopolymers
2D graphite layers
3D -; fullerenes; nanocrystals

Biomolecular & biomemetic devices

Biosensors
Nanomedicine & Nano- Molecular motors
biotechnology Biomolecular fabrics
[from Porter et al.,
Engineered enzymes & proteins
J Nanoparticle Research, Drug discovery and delivery
in press]
 Our Nano Data: Global, 1990-2006

ISI Web of Science [Science Citation Index - SCI]

~407,000 articles
(Representing ~2.7% of SCI over the period and 4.1% of
SCI for the 2005-06 period)
EI Compendex
~381,000 articles & conference papers
INSPEC [Engineering Village 2 website]
~334,000 articles & conference papers
EKMS searched MicroPatent, INPADOC, and their
proprietary U.S. Patent Citation database
~61,000 patent families [from ~70 patent authorities]
 Nano: Illustration
[Nanoscience & Nanoengineering R&D]
Global Level
National Level
Company Level
 Innovation Mapping: Topical Emphasis Trends
Global Nano Patents,1990 (partial-year 2006)

Georgia Tech TPAC / CNS-ASU patent analysis; refined nano definition; results subject to revision
 Innovation Mapping: Nano Geo-Districts

Georgia Tech TPAC / CNS-ASU Analysis of SCI Publications; refined nano definition; results subject to revision
 Cumulative Nano Publications (Science Citation Index)
160000

EU27
140000 US
Japan
China
120000 Germany
Asian Tigers

100000

80000

60000

40000

20000

0
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
est.
Science Citation Index Nano Articles, 2005:
Data Differences to Beware

All Authors First Author

EU27 31.0% 26.4%
US 25.4% 21.8%
Japan 11.1% 9.5%
China 17.6% 16.5%
Germany 8.8% 6.2%
Asian Tigers 9.6% 8.5%
Aged Nano Citations in 2000 and 2004 relative to Nano Articles (1st Author)
 Quantity vs. quality
Accumulated publications and citation rates, 1990-2006
Citation Rate
18
USA
The US leads 16
in quality
14
China is the
third largest UK Germany
publication 12
producer
[now ~#1]
10 France
Italy Japan
Quality of
Chinas
publications is 8
not comparable
with quantity
6 India South Korea

4 Russi
China
2

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Publications, in thousands
Analysis of SCI Publications 1990-2006; refined Georgia Tech nano definition; see Porter et al., 2007; count for 2006 extrapolated
 EI Compendex Nano Publications 7 Target Areas by Country/Region
14000

12000

10000
Chemistry
Energy
8000 Electronics
Optics
6000 Medicine
Medical Materials
Environment
4000

2000

0
EU USA China Japan SE India
Asia
Tigers
 Innovation Mapping:
What type of organizations are patenting?
Universities
Government Institutes
6%
Government Institutes 4%
16%

Universities
43%
Others
Firms
38%
19%
Firms
52%

Others
22%
US
China
Firms dominating
Universities and Govt
institutes dominating
Analysis of SIPO and USPTO patents 1990-2006; refined Georgia Tech nano definition; see Porter et al., 2007; count for 2006 extrapolated
 Innovation Mapping: Patent Aims along the Value Chain
[by Simone Alencar and Adelaide Antunes, UFRJ]

Main uses description in the Position along the Nano

Main IPC [# patents]
nanopatents Value Chain
H01L-Semiconductor
Devices; Electric Solid Electron device Nanointermediate
State Devices Not Semiconductor device Nanointermediate
Otherwise Provided Solar cell Nano-products
[2870]
carbon nanotube Nano-raw material
C01B-Non-Metallic Elements;
fuel cell Nano-products
Compounds Thereof [2716]
catalyst Nanointermediate
Cancer (treatment,
A61K-Preparations For Nano-products
medication)
Medical, Dental, Or Toilet Nano-products
Cosmetics
Purposes [1863] Nano-products
drugs
B82B-Nano-Structures; Carbon nanotube Nano-raw material
Manufacture Or Treatment Electron device Nanointermediate
Thereof Chemistry [1615] catalyst Nanointermediate
Innovation Mapping:
Nano Research Co-
authoring Network
for a small firm
-- via a university
-- to other universities
and government labs
[from Jue Wang, PhD
Dissertation, Georgia
Tech, 2007]
 Agriculture
Geoscience

Infectious diseases

Clinical medicine Ecology Environ. Sci.

General medicine Chemistry

Biological Sciences

Neurosciences Materials Sci

Engineering
Computer Sciences

Physics
GLOBAL MAP OF SCIENCE
Leydesdorff&Rafols (2007, submitted) Pajek
Map of Science

Quantum Dot
1995
Size (area) of nodes is proportional to:
Log (1+Number of citations per category) Pajek
Rafols
Map of Science

Quantum Dot
2005
Rafols Pajek
 Singer, P.A.
Daar, A.S. Co-citation Map
Mnyusiwalla, A.
(piece): Nano in
Arnall, A.H. SSCI

dge, W.S. Crichton, M.P.

Kurzweil, R.

Joy, B.

Wilsdon, J. ROCO MC Jones, R.

Smalley, R.E.

DREXLER KE
Renn, O. Whitesides, G.
Nordmann, A.

CRANDALL BC
Wood, S.
 10 Tech Mining Cases
1. Innovation & Application: Ceramic coatings for engines
(Army)
2. Hazardous Substances Data Bank: Import to facilitate
knowledge discovery and database management (NLM)
3. NSF Proposal Assessment/EPA STAR Research Evaluation
4. Measuring research Interdisciplinarity (National Academies)
5. Self-profiling ones organizational strengths & gaps (GT)
6. Generating ST&I Indicators (Sao Paulo)
7. Combining empirical & expert data: Plastic molding
technologies to assess relative R&D priorities (UFSC)
8. Life Cycle Positioning Analyses: Nanopatenting (UFRJ)
9. Tracking Media coverage of an R&D organization (Embrapa)
10. Geo-mapping based on text and data mining
Polymer Biomaterials : fibrous structural proteins : skin
1991-1997 (68 patents)
Polymer Biomaterials : fibrous structural proteins : skin
1991-2005 (470 patents)
 [Literature-Based Discovery for Open Innovation
1. Specify the initiating challenge (innovation opportunity A)
[Classic case: Swanson pursuing Raynauds Disease]
Note key attributes
2. Search the literature (&/or patents)
Profile the core and fringe topical themes (related factors B)
Expert assessment of best prospects
[Raynauds associated with blood viscosity changes]
3. New, independent Literature search on B1 (also possibly B2,)
Profile the promising elements (C1, C2 , C3, )
Expert assessment of interesting prospects (considering key attributes of A)
Vetting that C1 has not been previously explored (check literature & patents)
[Raynauds case: blood viscosity lowered by eicosapentaenoic acid, not
previously explored as treatment]
4. Investigate potential of C1 to resolve the initiating challenge (A)
 Summary
Open Innovation depends on effectively
exploiting external research knowledge
Treat text like Data Mine it for patterns!
Patterns speak to innovation prospects:
maturation, contextual forces, market
prospects
Answer who, what, where & when
Innovation Management questions for
business decision processes
 Open Innovation Machine in
practice at a Fortune 50 Company
Implement Tech Mining treat text like data
[apply VantagePoint and other mining tools]
Standardize data, analyses & information
presentations
Script to expedite
Make better innovation decisions for
competitive advantage!
 Resources
Tech Mining by Alan Porter and Scott Cunningham,
Wiley, 2005

www.theVantagePoint.com
- the software
- various News on text mining of S&T
- in Spain, contact Triz XXI, Fernando Palop
[[email protected]]

+1 770 441 1457

[email protected]