Science-technology flows in Spanish regions - An analysis of scientific citations in patents

Many regions of the European Union with a high degree of autonomy have elected very clearly to stimulate scientific research and technological development (R&D) as a specific means of promoting economic growth and the welfare of their citizens. In Spain, several autonomous regions have organised their efforts in science and technology by means of the adoption of regional R&D plans. In some cases, particular concern is taken to link the scope of scientific research with that of technology, but even in these few cases, it is acknowledged that little is known of the mechanisms by which the results of scientific research are translated into technological development, and how this latter in turn influences the objectives of scientific research. Our aim in this article is to study in greater depth the relationship between science and technological development in the various regions of Spain. The methodology that we apply to investigate the links between science and technology is based on an analysis of scientific citations in patent documents (non-patent citation (NPC)). The results obtained from this study provide some relevant data on the interconnection between the scientific and technological systems from a regional perspective. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.