Purpose: Since existing literature suggests that ethnic diversity is one of the key elements that shape the dynamics of innovation, we examine whether inventions generated by ethnically diverse teams in the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary are more valuable than those created by homogenous teams of native researchers. Design/Methodology/Approach: Using the OLS method, we estimate the parameters of the regression model in order to examine the relationship between ethnic diversity and the quality of technical solutions created as well as to determine which ethnic group and which combination of these groups (for each country) has the greatest impact on the quality of inventions. We take the frequency of citation as a measure of the quality of inventions, and the degree of ethnic diversity in the inventor team is measured using the Herfindahl index. Findings: Based on a cross-sectional data set being a sample of 2518 international patent applications (PCT) from 2004-2012, we have observed that both the mere presence of foreigners as well as greater ethnic diversity in the inventor team significantly increase the quality of technical solutions in Poland and Hungary, and moderately in the Czech Republic. Our study has also revealed that of all ethnic groups, Americans have the greatest impact on the citation of inventions, and it is the case in all three countries covered by the study. The optimal combination of individual groups, however, is different for each of these three countries: in Poland, the highest quality of inventions is related to the presence of citizens of the US, Belgium, Japan and Turkey, in Hungarythe US and Israel, and in the Czech Republic the US, Germany and Canada. Practical Implications: The research results can be used by decision makers in Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary when shaping the countries' migration and innovation policies.

The subject of this paper is a form of academic entrepreneurship that manifests itself in sales of academic inventions in the form of either patents or licenses. The aim of this paper is to indicate reasons for which academic researchers from Lower Silesia (Poland's NUTS 2 region) do not engage in the commercialization process of inventions they create. On the basis of information obtained during direct interviews with academic researchers from Lower Silesia it may be concluded that the main barrier to academic entrepreneurship in Lower Silesia is the use of inadequate policy instruments that encourage academic researchers only to generate inventions and submit them for patent protection but little motivate them to engage in research commercialization. Przedmiotem niniejszego artykułu jest jedna z form akademickiej przedsiębiorczości polegającej na sprzedaży akademickich wynalazków w postaci patentów lub licencji. Celem artykułu jest wskazanie powodów, dla których badacze akademiccy z Dolnego Śląska nie angażują się w proces komercjalizacji stworzonych przez siebie wynalazków. Na podstawie informacji uzyskanych podczas wywiadów bezpośrednich z badaczami akademickimi z Dolnego Śląska można stwierdzić, iż główną barierą przedsiębiorczości akademickiej na Dolnym Śląsku jest stosowanie nieadekwatnych instrumentów polityki gospodarczej, skłaniających badaczy akademickich jedynie do generowania wynalazków i zgłaszania ich do ochrony patentowej, lecz w niewielkim stopniu motywujących do angażowania się w komercjalizację badań.

The publication addresses the problem of the patent gap from a regional perspective. For the purposes of the publication, it is understood as the time difference between the inventions of Czech companies and technologically advanced solutions patented by the foreign companies. The patent gap problem is particularly important in the field of biotechnology, which is characterized by high dynamics and compatibility of entities’ inventive activity. It is therefore important that the absorption and diffusion of knowledge necessary for its implementation proceed quickly and at a similar level. The aim of the article is to determine the degree of patent gap between the inventions of Czech biotechnology companies and patented solutions of foreign entities. The research method used for the purpose of this article is the method of patent citation analysis. It consists of quantitative and qualitative analysis of patent citations, i.e. references contained in the technical documentation, and more precisely relation between the description of a new invention and previously known technical solutions, or the source literature. For the purpose of the research, it was assumed that the shorter the time elapsed between the release of a solution or publication and their citation in another patented invention, the smaller the degree of patent gap. The Espacenet patent information database was used as a source for obtaining the necessary technical documentation of inventions. The research results lead to the following conclusions. First, they point to a significant geographical diversification of the sources for obtaining technical knowledge—Czech biotechnological companies use both domestic and foreign solutions in developing inventions. Secondly, they suggest a high degree of internationalization, as to a large extent the basis for patented inventions involves foreign solutions. Thirdly, the observed patent gap is the strongest in the case of the scientific research results and the knowledge contained in the technical documentation of domestic and American companies’ inventions. However, these inventions have to be entered in the WO patent database. The research results also indicate that using external sources of technical knowledge requires not only the creation of appropriate technical potential (research and commercial infrastructure), but also the time necessary to acquire and process new knowledge (absorption capacity).

Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Szczecińskiego