Exploring BioPat: an investigation tool for the analysis of industry evolution, technological paths and policy impact in the field of biofuels

Valeria Costantini
Universidad de Roma
Thursday, 28 June 2012 - 12:00

This paper describes the methodology, characteristics and potential use of BioPat, a dataset containing patents in the field of biofuels. The innovative methodology we use aims to solve drawbacks related to how patent data are allocated and organized in international databases. In order to create a database which includes patents strictly related to the investigated field, we propose an original method based on keywords, rather than on International Patent Classification (IPC) codes. Starting with a systematic mapping of biofuel production processes, we built a simplified but comprehensive description of the technological domain related to the production of biofuels by applying so-called process analysis. The keyword selection relies on an iterative approach, based on an analysis of recent scientific literature. The database was finalized with a series of interviews with experts in the biofuels sector, and compared with IPC-based biofuels codes, revealing improved accuracy when selecting data using our methodology.

Place: 

Ciudad Politécnica de la Innovación
Edif 8E - Acceso J - Planta 4 - Sala Descubre
 

Short CV: 

Valeria Costantini is Assistant Professor at the Department of Economics, Roma Tre University (Italy), Lecturer in Environmental Economics and Climate Change, and in Urban Economics. She has been Economist at the Italian National Research Institute for New Technologies, Energy and Environment (ENEA). She is involved in several national and international research projects, with specific interest in environmental economics and climate change, international energy markets, innovation in green technologies.