A patent-based analysis of the evolution of basic, mission-oriented, and applied research in European universities

Abstract

The dynamics of basic and applied research at university and industry have steadily changed since the Eighties, with the private sector reducing its investments in science and universities experiencing significant remodelling in the governance of their funding. While studies have focussed on documenting these changes in industry, less attention has been paid to observe the trajectories of basic and applied research in universities. This work contributes to fill this gap by looking at the evolution of publicly funded research that has been patented by universities between 1978 and 2015. First, we adopt a critical perspective of the basic versus applied dichotomy and identify patents according to three typologies of research: basic, mission-oriented, and applied research. Second, we describe the evolution of these three typologies in universities compared to industry. Our results show that over the years, patents from academic research that was publicly funded have become more oriented towards pure basic research, with mission-oriented basic research and pure applied research decreasing from the late 1990s. These results complement and extend the literature on basic and applied research dynamics in the private sector. By introducing mission-oriented research as a type of basic research with consideration of use, the work problematises the basic and applied research dichotomy and provides insights into the evolution of academic research focus, offering a more complex picture of how university research contributes to industry and broader social value creation.

The efficiency of scientific activities and technology transfer in higher education in Poland

“…However, since the Wolszczak-Derlacz (2013) study, several systemic changes have been introduced, including a comprehensive evaluation of the scientific activity of HEIs, the creation of a point system for ranking scientific journals, and a system for reporting the effects of the higher education and science system (POL-on), which could have improved the situation of HEIs. It is worth noting that Angori et al (2023) analysed the evolution of basic, mission-oriented and applied research at European universities from 1978 to 2015. The results of the study indicate that over the years, patents from publicly funded academic research have become more basic research-oriented and basic research has become more mission-oriented at HEIs.…”