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Patents, ‘spill-overs’ and ‘spill-ins’. Spatial patterns of technological innovation in the NUTS3 regions of Europe, 2009-2011 and 2019-2021. Implications for the metropolitan area of Barcelona.

Any de realizació: 2024

Equip:

• Sandra Aguilera Moyano
• Marc Fíguls Sierra
• Vittorio Galletto (Dir.)

Institution: AMB

The aim of this study is to analyze the generation of patents (an indicator of technological innovation) in the EU from a spatial perspective, recognizing that the EU territory is not homogeneous, but rather that innovation generation is concentrated in certain areas and follows specific patterns. The study goes beyond simply counting patents based on the location of inventors or patent applicants, which is common in innovation studies, and instead examines the links between where innovation is created and where the agents who appropriate the generated knowledge reside. The lack of coincidence between the locations of inventors and applicants may indicate the attractiveness of knowledge to external agents, as well as a possible lack of connection between the knowledge generated and the ability of the local business fabric to capitalize on it.

The study introduces the terms “spill-overs” and “spill-ins.” The term “spill-overs” refers to knowledge flows that originate in one region and spread to other regions or countries, creating an impact beyond the geographical boundaries of the original invention. These “spill-over” dynamics are essential for understanding how technological knowledge propagates and benefits from an interregional innovation network. On the other hand, the concept of “spill-ins” describes the opposite process: external knowledge that is absorbed and integrated by a region, thereby enriching its innovation potential. This phenomenon highlights the capacity to attract and adapt knowledge generated in other areas, which is especially relevant in a European context where the mobility of resources, ideas, and technology can be a key factor in regional competitiveness.

The study of these flows allows for the identification of spatial patterns in knowledge generation and assimilation, providing a deeper understanding of innovation networks in the highly diverse NUTS3 regions of Europe. Analyzing where inventors and patent applicants are concentrated helps to observe how knowledge flows from one region to another, which regions are the most receptive or the most innovative, and how these exchanges influence local and regional technological development. The analysis focuses on the period 2019-2021, while also comparing certain indicators with the previous decade (2009-2011). The study examines NUTS3 regions (equivalent to provinces in Catalonia) from the most technologically innovative European countries, including most EU member states as well as non-EU countries with significant technological and economic importance, such as the United Kingdom and Switzerland.

The study results highlight the presence of regions, and even entire countries, with a remarkable ability to absorb innovations generated outside their own territory, a phenomenon we refer to as “spill-in” knowledge. These regions are mainly concentrated in Central European countries such as Switzerland and Germany. These countries have a short average distance between the geographic centers of inventors and applicants, indicating not only a strong capacity for generating innovations but also a highly developed local business ecosystem capable of absorbing them.

Conversely, other regions in countries such as Spain, as well as Central and Eastern European countries (e.g., Poland and the Czech Republic), show the opposite pattern: they generate innovations that are appropriated by companies (applicants) located in other regions or countries, a phenomenon we call “spill-over” knowledge. These dynamics have been analyzed using maps and geographic indicators that quantify and distinguish these situations and their corresponding spatial patterns.

Next, the study presents a similar analysis focusing specifically on Spain, incorporating the technological profile of patents as an additional dimension of analysis. While the previous section highlighted the imbalance in Spain between the presence of inventors and applicants, the introduction of technological sectors reveals significant differences based on the type of technology involved. The technology with the greatest imbalance is Electricity and Electronics, where the average center of patent applicants is located far from Spain and, at the same time, even further from the average center of inventors. This could be interpreted negatively as a lack of local business capacity to capitalize on technological innovations developed in the region. However, from a positive perspective, it also demonstrates the attractiveness of locally generated knowledge. Projects such as the recently announced DARE (Digital Autonomy with RISC-V Europe) for the development of high-performance computing chips in Barcelona may represent a major opportunity to reverse this imbalance.

In contrast, the technology sector with the least imbalance is Mechanical Engineering, followed by Chemistry. In these sectors, locally generated innovations are mainly appropriated by local applicants (companies), which should contribute to their competitiveness. This pattern is also reflected in international trade statistics, where the automotive and chemical sectors are among the top export industries in the Spanish economy.

Overall, the geographic analysis of the locations of inventors and patent applicants highlights the lack of an innovative scale in Barcelona and Madrid. However, this limitation is not due to the size of these cities—both of which rank among the 25 most innovative regions in Europe—but rather to their limited potential for agglomeration with neighboring regions, making geography a determining factor.

A major challenge for the Barcelona metropolitan area—which holds a clear leadership position in technological innovation within Catalonia and Spain as a whole—is to achieve greater scale in local innovation ecosystems through increased investment in research and development (R&D). The objective should be to generate a critical mass of knowledge and innovation by significantly increasing resources dedicated to R&D, which would not only improve the quality and impact of locally generated innovation but also establish stronger links with the highly concentrated innovation hubs of Central Europe.

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• Report of Patents, ‘spill-overs’ and ‘spill-ins’. Spatial patterns of technological innovation in the NUTS3 regions of Europe, 2009-2011 and 2019-2021. Implications for the metropolitan area of Barcelona.