Open innovation of knowledge cities

Purpose: This research seeks to answer the basic question, "As a city evolves from an industrial city to a knowledge one, are its open innovation activities vitalized?" Design/methodology/approach: In this research, we compare the total number of patent applications, the number of joint applicants of each patent, and the ratio of patents jointly applied, in four Korean cities - Daegu, Kwangju, Cheonann total, top 10 % patent applicants group among total patent applicants, and the lower 70 % patent applicant group among total patent applicants. The research included 144,625 patents submitted to the Korea Patent Office from 1981 to 2010. Findings: As knowledge-based urbanization proceeds, the size of a knowledge city increases. The lowest 70 % of patent applicants (rather than the top 10 %) apply for more patents, and the breadth and depth of open innovation rises. Research limitations/implications (if applicable): This research is limited to mutual patent applications as a target of open innovation. In the future, additional research will need to be conducted on various open innovation channels such as patent citation, intellectual property right transfer, licensing, and M&A. Practical implications (if applicable): To maximize the beneficial characteristics of a knowledge city in a large city, the improvement of open innovation across the city is essential. Social implications (if applicable): If strengthening open innovation by SMEs or start-ups is set as a corporate strategy or a government policy, it will be a source of development of knowledge-based urbanization and continued economic development of a knowledge city, as well as of the total knowledge assets.