Thomson Reuters: TSMC, NCKU, and NCTU, Taiwan’s Innovative Representatives

The IP & Science business of Thomson Reuters, the world’s leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals, released the 2015 State of Innovation Report on May 26, 2015.  The 2015 State of Innovation report provided a study that analyzed the scientific and patent literature covered in 12 major technology-based industries in the world to identify the companies, research institutions, and technical industries that produced the highest innovation output.  The Thomson Reuters teams delivered the most authoritative information regarding the trend of global innovation and critical comments on the lifecycle of innovation in every industry as shown in the latest study, The Future is Open: 2015 State of Innovation. 

The Thomson Reuters teams reviewed the patent and scientific literature worldwide of the past five years and identified the companies, research institutions, and technical industries with the highest innovation output.  According to their study, TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited; among the top 5 innovative enterprises in the area of semiconductor materials in Asia during 2010-2014), National Cheng Kung University (among the top 10 scientific research institutions worldwide with the highest output in the area of home electronic appliances during 2004-2014) , and National Chiao Tung University (among the top 10 scientific research institutions worldwide with the highest output in the area of semiconductor during 2004-2014) are the company and institutions that represent Taiwan in Asia. 

Key findings of the 2015 State of Innovation Report are summarized as follows.  First of all, there is a slowdown in innovation growth.  There was a just 3% increase in worldwide patent volume in 2014, the slowest rate of patent volume growth since the end of global recession in 2009.  Likewise, the total volume of new scientific research decreased 34% over the same period, and the largest declines in patent and scientific research volume occurred to the semiconductor industry. 

Despite the slowdown in yearly growth rate, the worldwide patent volume reached a record high with over 2.1 million unique inventions published throughout 2014.  The industries showing the largest growth in patent volume were the food, beverages and tobacco industries (21%), the pharmaceuticals industry (12%), the cosmetics industry (8%), and biotechnology industry (7%). 

Moreover, all industries embrace open innovation.  The trend toward open innovation means that companies work with academic institutions, individual researchers and other companies (even competitors in some cases).  Samsung, for example, has aggressively partnered with academic institutions for developing semiconductor technologies, and averagely 129.1 of every 10,000 patent filings in relevant areas are developed jointly with an academic institution.  

Another highlight of the Report is that traditional industry lines blur.  Largely triggered by the rise of Internet of Thing, the traditional boundaries between industries and companies areas of specialization have continued to blur.  More than ten companies featured in the study, including Apple, DuPont, General Electric, IBM, and Samsung, appear among top patent holders in multiple industries outside their core areas of focus.  (May 2015)
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