Milesi, Da ío; Aggio, Ca los; Ve e, Vladimi o
A icle
In en ions, public subsidies and ma ke launch:
Oppo uni ies and limi s o pa en ing suppo in A gen ina
Es udios de Economía
P o ided in Coope a ion wi h:
Depa men o Economics, Uni e si y o Chile
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Milesi, Da ío; Aggio, Ca los; Ve e, Vladimi o (2024) : In en ions, public subsidies
and ma ke launch: Oppo uni ies and limi s o pa en ing suppo in A gen ina, Es udios de
Economía, ISSN 0718-5286, Uni e sidad de Chile, Depa amen o de Economía, San iago de Chile,
Vol. 51, Iss. 1, pp. 19-43
This Ve sion is a ailable a :
h ps://hdl.handle.ne /10419/312789
S anda d-Nu zungsbedingungen:
Die Dokumen e au EconS o dü en zu eigenen wissenscha lichen
Zwecken und zum P i a geb auch gespeiche und kopie we den.
Sie dü en die Dokumen e nich ü ö en liche ode komme zielle
Zwecke e iel äl igen, ö en lich auss ellen, ö en lich zugänglich
machen, e eiben ode ande wei ig nu zen.
So e n die Ve asse die Dokumen e un e Open-Con en -Lizenzen
(insbesonde e CC-Lizenzen) zu Ve ügung ges ell haben soll en,
gel en abweichend on diesen Nu zungsbedingungen die in de do
genann en Lizenz gewäh en Nu zungs ech e.
Te ms o use:
Documen s in EconS o may be sa ed and copied o you pe sonal
and schola ly pu poses.
You a e no o copy documen s o public o comme cial pu poses, o
exhibi he documen s publicly, o make hem publicly a ailable on he
in e ne , o o dis ibu e o o he wise use he documen s in public.
I he documen s ha e been made a ailable unde an Open Con en
Licence (especially C ea i e Commons Licences), you may exe cise
u he usage igh s as speci ied in he indica ed licence.
h ps://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
19
Es udios de Economía, Vol.51 - Nº 1, Junio 2024. Págs 19-43
In en ions, public subsidies and ma ke launch: oppo uni ies and
limi s o pa en ing suppo in A gen ina
In enciones, subsidios públicos y llegada al me cado: opo unidades y
lími es del apoyo al pa en amien o en A gen ina
DARIO MILESI*
CARLOS AGGIO**
VLADIMIRO Ve e***
Abs ac
ANR Pa en es is an A gen inean p og am ha gi es g an s o pa en s appli-
ca ions o inno a i e i ms, en ep eneu s and esea che s. Th oughou he
pe iod 2007-2017, 83 p ojec s (ou o 195) we e unded. Based on seconda y
sou ces and a su ey conduc ed o bene icia ies, his s udy econs uc s he
p og ess made by he pa en applican s. The esul s show, on he one hand, ha
a high pe cen age o he pa en s ha e been g an ed, and, on he o he hand,
a g oup o p ojec s a e acing di icul ies o each he ma ke . Thus, he s udy
sugges s he necessi y o complemen ANR Pa en es wi h o he ins umen s o i-
en ed o os e en ep eneu ship and p oduc i e de elopmen .
Key wo ds: Public subsidy, pa en , ma ke .
JEL Classi ica ion: O30 O32 O34.
*
**
***
Ins i u o de Indus ia, Uni e sidad Nacional de Gene al Sa mien o, A gen ina.
Cen o In e disciplina io de Es udios en Ciencia, Tecnología e Inno ación (CIECTI),
A gen ina. [email p o ec ed]
Facul ad de Ingenie ía, Uni e sidad Nacional de Lomas de Zamo a. Cen o
In e disciplina io de Es udios en Ciencia, Tecnología e Inno ación (CIECTI),
A gen ina.
Ins i u o de Indus ia, Uni e sidad Nacional de Gene al Sa mien o, A gen ina.
Cen o In e disciplina io de Es udios en Ciencia, Tecnología e Inno ación (CIECTI),
A gen ina.
Recei ed: Ma ch, 2023 Accep ed: Ap il, 2024
20 Es udios de Economía, Vol.51 - Nº 1
Resumen
El ANR Pa en es es un ins umen o que o o ga subsidios al pa en amien o de
desa ollos inno ado es en A gen ina. En e 2007 y 2017 se inancia on 83
p oyec os de 195 pos ulaciones. A pa i de in o mación secunda ia y de una
encues a a bene icia ios se pudo econs ui el camino de las solici udes de
pa en es inanciadas. Los esul ados e elan una al a asa de o o gamien o
de las pa en es solici adas y, que un conjun o de p oyec os ha en en ado di i-
cul ades pa a llega al me cado. Es o indica la con eniencia de a icula es e
ins umen o con p og amas o ien ados al emp endedu ismo y con uen es de
inanciamien o pa a el desa ollo p oduc i o.
Palab as cla e: Subsidio público, pa en e, me cado.
Clasi icación JEL: O30 O32 O34.
1. INTRODUCTION
P omo ing he p o ec ion and exploi a ion o he in ellec ual and indus ial
p ope y (IP) o locally gene a ed knowledge is pa o he public agenda in
many coun ies. This p omo ion is implemen ed in a leas ou ways (Xu and
Muna i, 2016): i) measu es p omo ing pa en - ilings; ii) measu es p omo ing
pa en ed echnology ma u a ion; iii) measu es p omo ing pa en exploi a ion;
and i ) measu es p omo ing pa en le e age o access ex e nal inancing. This
pape ocuses on an ins umen called Apo e no Reembolsable Pa en es (ANR
Pa en es), managed by he A gen ine Technological Fund (FONTAR), which
alls in o he i s ca ego y inso a as i inances he p epa a ion and iling o
pa en applica ions (o u ili y models) in A gen ina and elsewhe e. I s ul ima e
pu pose is o p o ec inno a i e esul s gene a ed by he A gen inean scien i ic,
echnological and p oduc i e sec o .
ANR Pa en es di e s om o he p og ams in he wo ld ha p o ide pa -
en illings subsidies since he e is a ai ly igo ous selec ion and e alua ion
p ocess o he bene icia ies be o e g an ing he unds. On he con a y, o he
coun ies such as I aly and mainly China, p o ide subsidies almos au oma i-
cally based on he ch onological o de o applica ions a e a check o o mal
equi emen s (Xu and Muna i, 2016; Lei, e al, 2013). Due o i s scale, hese
schemes ha e esul ed in a ise o he agg ega e numbe o pa en s in hose
coun ies bu ha e aised conce ns abou he quali y (measu ed by he numbe
o o wa d ci a ion and concession) and economic alue (measu ed by eco-
nomic pe o mance a e he subsidy) (Li, 2012; The Economis , 2010).
21
In en ions, public subsidies and ma ke launch... / D. Milesi, C. Aggio, V. Ve e
ANR Pa en es pa ially co e s expenses associa ed wi h he pa en appli-
ca ion o hose p ojec s ha su passed he ins umen ex-an e e alua ion. The
subsequen esul s such as he ac ual g an ing o he pa en and i s comme cial
exploi a ion a e beyond he scope and con ol o FONTAR. The p og am does
no p o ide addi ional suppo o main ain he alidi y o he pa en in he e en
ha i is g an ed, no o he in es men s equi ed o ans o m he p o ec ed
in en ion in o an inno a ion. Howe e , he ins umen implici ly assumes ha
he s ages ollowing he applica ion will be e ec i ely ca ied ou in all cases.
In acco dance wi h his expec a ion, subsidy candida es mus demons a e no
only hei p oduc o p ocess’s “in en i e s ep” o be deemed as pa en able, bu
also i s u he comme cial po en ial.
The objec i e o his pape is wo old. Fi s ly, i aims o make a me hod-
ological con ibu ion o ace and e alua e he pa h ollowed by pa en appli-
can s a e hei eques s. Secondly, i aims o ind ou wha has happened o he
pa en applica ions inanced by ANR Pa en es. On he one hand, i e i ies o
wha ex en he p ojec s assis ed ha e e ec i ely achie ed ma ke pe o mance
expec a ions. On he o he hand, i analyzes hose aspec s o he ins umen
ha could be e o mula ed o imp o e i s unc ioning and expec ed esul s. In
addi ion, gi en ha his ype o inancing in o he coun ies is gi en almos
au oma ically o all applican s h ough la ge-scale p og ams, bo h he me h-
odological s a egy o ga he ing e idence and he esul s o A gen ina’s ANR
Pa en es cons i u e a con ibu ion o he deba e o how o e alua e small-scale
and niche ins umen s.
The emainde o his pape is o ganized in ou sec ions. The nex sec ion
in oduces he ins umen unde analysis in e ms o i s objec i es, cha ac e -
is ics and gene al esul s. The hi d sec ion de elops he me hodology used
o collec in o ma ion abou he pa h ollowed by he applica ions inanced
by ANR Pa en es a e ecei ing he subsidy. The ou h sec ion is de o ed o
p esen ing and analyzing he e idence gene a ed. Finally, he i h sec ion is
de o ed o conclusions and policy ecommenda ions de i ed om he s udy.
2. ANR PATENTES IN ARGENTINA
ANR Pa en es is a subsidy aimed a p o ec ing R&D esul s by suppo ing
he p epa a ion and/o iling o in en ion and u ili y model pa en applica ions.1
The subsidy co e s up o 80% o he p ojec , up o USD 5,000 o applica ions
in A gen ina and USD 75,000 ab oad. The maximum du a ion o p ojec s is
1 The ansla ion o Apo e no Reembolsable (ANR) is non- e undable unding, bu
s ic ly speaking i is a subsidy.
22 Es udios de Economía, Vol.51 - Nº 1
36 mon hs. I is aimed a : a) na ional SMEs; b) indi iduals; c) public and/o
p i a e non-p o i scien i ic and echnological ins i u ions.
Diag am 1 shows a s ylized illus a ion o a comple e cycle o an inno a i e
p ojec and whe e ANR Pa en es makes i s con ibu ion. I s a s wi h a esea ch
and de elopmen phase ha may be d i en by he sea ch o a echnological
solu ion o a p oblem and/o by he iden i ica ion o a ma ke oppo uni y. The
du a ion o his s age a ies acco ding o he ype and complexi y o he p ojec
and in some cases i also ecei es public unding. When he esul s ob ained
a e posi i e, he de elopmen o in en ion akes place. When his miles one is
su icien ly in en i e i becomes pa en able in o de o, among o he hings,
p e en copying and/o gene a e income h ough he licensing o he pa en .2
A e ha , ega dless o whe he o no a pa en is g an ed, he inno a ion
is comple ed when he de elopmen is aken o a p oduc i e scale, eaches he
ma ke and is comme cially exploi ed. Finally, hese p ojec s can be associa ed
wi h b oade po en ial socioeconomic impac s in di e en aspec s. In econom-
ic e ms, he po en ial is o: i) inc ease p oduc i i y; ii) de elop new (niche)
ma ke s, iii) subs i u e impo s, i ) gene a e expo s and/o new jobs, among
o he s. Socially, hese p ojec s can po en ially imp o e he quali y o li e o
he popula ion ( o example, h ough heal h) and gene a e g ea e inclusion in
disad an aged o ela i ely less de eloped g oups o egions o he coun y.
2 The pa en gua an ees he p i a e app op ia ion o he inno a ion h ough he exclusi e
igh s g an ed o he in en o . A he same ime, i allows a ce ain di usion o knowl-
edge by equi ing he desc ip ion o he in en ion o de elopmen o be made public
(G iliches, 1990). Se e al s udies show ha pa en s a e mo e widely used o p o ec
p oduc inno a ions han p ocess inno a ions and, ha hei use and e ec i eness a y
acco ding o he indus ial sec o (Mans ield, 1986; Le in e al., 1987). Among he
limi a ions o his ins umen a e he di icul y in demons a ing he no el y o he
in en ion, he disclosu e o in o ma ion o po en ial compe i o s and he high cos s o
applica ion and de ense (Le in e al., 1987; Cohen e al., 2000).
23
In en ions, public subsidies and ma ke launch... / D. Milesi, C. Aggio, V. Ve e
DIAGRAM 1
INNOVATIVE PROJECT CYCLE AND ANR PATENTES’ CONTRIBUTION
ANR Pa en es unding is condi ioned by h ee e alua ion s ages: (i) a pa -
en abili y analysis, conduc ed by e alua o s based on a s a e-o - he-a sea ch
p o ided by he applican ; (ii) an economic easibili y analysis ha includes,
a leas , a o ecas o he po en ial economic impac , ma ke p o ile and he
capaci y o he holde o scale up he p ojec , using he idea comme cially o
licensing he in en ion. As pa o his, he co espondence be ween he expo
s a egy, ma ke oppo uni ies and coun ies in which he pa en applica ion is
in ended is also e alua ed; (iii) he inancial capaci y o he applican o co e
he coun e pa con ibu ions o eseen by he ins umen .
The main eligible expenses include he ees associa ed wi h he p epa a ion
and submission o he applica ion (d a ing, p epa a ion o d awings and ig-
u es, ansla ions, compliance wi h s anda ds and p epa a ion o supplemen a-
y documen a ion equi ed by he a ious o ices, e c.) and he espec i e ees
and a i s.
Finally, i should be no ed ha , as can be seen om he economic iabili y
analysis ha includes he e alua ion o p ojec s, he spi i o he ins umen is
no me ely o inc ease he numbe o pa en s, bu a he ha he indus ial p op-
Sou ce: Own elabo a ion based on Ve e e al (2020).
24 Es udios de Economía, Vol.51 - Nº 1
e y p o ec ion con e ed by hese pa en s should acili a e he de elopmen
o in en ion o e ec i ely ake ad an age o oppo uni ies and mee needs,
wi h a consequen socioeconomic and compe i i e impac om he knowledge
gene a ed.
Up o 2017, he ins umen ecei ed 195 applica ions, o which 83 we e
inanced. Some bene icia ies ecei ed unding o mo e han one p ojec , so
he o al numbe o bene icia ies is lowe han he numbe o p ojec s. In his
ega d, he e a e a o al o 58 bene icia ies o which 42 ob ained unding o a
single p ojec and 16 ob ained unding o wo o mo e p ojec s.
The annual e olu ion shows a s eady g ow h un il 2012 and hen a decline
un il 2017 (Figu e 1).
FIGURE 1
ANNUAL EVOLUTION OF THE NUMBER OF PROJECTS FINANCED
In e ms o he ypes o bene icia ies, coinciding wi h he objec i es o
he ins umen , legal pe sons and SMEs p edomina e, oge he accoun ing o
65 p ojec s (78%), while public ins i u ions we e he bene icia ies o he e-
maining 18 (22%) (Figu e 2). I should be no ed ha wi hin his o al, ou
public-p i a e associa i e p ojec s we e also iden i ied.
Sou ce: Own elabo a ion based on in o ma ion p o ided by FONTAR.
25
In en ions, public subsidies and ma ke launch... / D. Milesi, C. Aggio, V. Ve e
FIGURE 2
NUMBER OF PROJECTS FINANCED ACCORDING TO TYPE OF BENEFICIARY
The me hodological app oach and main esul s co esponding o he pa h
ollowed by he pa en applica ions o hese 83 p ojec s a e p esen ed below.
3. METHODOLOGY
The me hodological s a egy used o access in o ma ion on he esul s o
he p ojec s was based on seconda y and p ima y sou ces (see Table 1 o he
co e age and ype o in o ma ion collec ed in each case).
TABLE 1
SUMMARY OF SOURCES, COVERAGE AND NATURE OF THE INFORMATION
COLLECTED BY TYPE OF SOURCE
Sou ce: Own elabo a ion based on in o ma ion p o ided by FONTAR.
Seconda y P ima y
Sou ce
Pa en da abases:
• Pa en Scope
• Google Pa en s
• Espacene
Su ey o ANR Pa en es bene icia ies
Co e age 83 p ojec s (100%) 33 p ojec s (40%)
Type o
in o ma ion
ob ained
O ice(s) o applica ion, s a us (g an ed, in o ce), eco d o o he
applica ions made by he bene icia ies.
Mo i a ions and di icul ies encoun e ed in
he applica ion p ocess.
Comme cial exploi a ion.
Expe ience wi h he public sec o .
Sou ce: Own elabo a ion.
26 Es udios de Economía, Vol.51 - Nº 1
Seconda y in o ma ion on he s a us o applica ions was ob ained om
open access pa en da abases such as Pa en Scope, Google Pa en s and Espa-
cene . Pa en Scope, a sea ch engine p o ided by he Wo ld In ellec ual P ope -
y O ganiza ion (WIPO), was ini ially consul ed o iden i y pa en applica ions
ha me h ee condi ions: 1) hey included ANR bene icia ies as applican s;
2) hey e ealed lexical p oximi y o he espec i e p ojec i le; and 3) hey
we e con empo aneous wi h he p ojec in ch onological e ms. The Pa en -
Scope sea ch was con igu ed o include esul s om all o ices while disabling
he au oma ic sepa a ion o wo ds in o lexemes. Subsequen ly, o each o he
applica ions e ie ed om Pa en Scope, we p oceeded o iden i y he “ win”
eco ds indexed by Google Pa en s ha allowed us o inco po a e he pa en
g an da e. Since only en ies in he na ional o egional phases ollowing he
Pa en Coope a ion T ea y (PCT) applica ion a e likely o be g an ed (o e-
jec ed), and his occu s acco ding o he applicable law in each ju isdic ion,
in he case o applica ions made h ough he PCT, i was decided o assign he
ea lies g an da e o he i s en y a he na ional phases le el. C oss-checking
wi h Google Pa en s also made i possible o know whe he g an ed pa en s a e
ac i e o in o ce.
Likewise, in o de o measu e he ele ance o ANR Pa en es in he in el-
lec ual p ope y managemen ajec o y o he bene icia ies, pa en applica-
ions made by he bene icia ies bu no ela ed o he inanced p ojec s we e
sea ched o and e ie ed.
Finally, da a cleaning was pe o med in e ms o consis ency and comple e-
ness and ex pos il e ing by ca ego ies and by au oma ed iden i ica ion/so ing
s a egies o emo e duplica ions, ou lie s and anomalies om he da abase.
Rega ding comme cial exploi a ion and o he aspec s o he pa en ing p o-
cess, a su ey was conduc ed since such in o ma ion is no a ailable in he
pa en da abases. The ques ionnai e con ained i e sec ions (see Table 2) and
was managed h ough an online pla o m. As can be seen, in addi ion o he
in o ma ion on comme cial exploi a ion, he ques ionnai e also asked abou
aspec s cap u ed by he pa en da abases, such as he applica ion and g an ing
p ocess, bo h o allow he esponden o e e ence he subsequen ques ions
and o co obo a e he accu acy o he in o ma ion ob ained om he pa en
da abases. Likewise, in each segmen , quali a i e aspec s o he p ocess, such
as he easons o pa en ing, we e explo ed in dep h. Finally, he bene icia ies
we e asked abou hei e alua ion o he ins umen and hei gene al expe i-
ence o he ela ionship wi h he Public Sec o .
33
In en ions, public subsidies and ma ke launch... / D. Milesi, C. Aggio, V. Ve e
4.2 Pa en s G an ed
In e ms o pa en s g an ed, 76% o he p ojec s (63 ou o 83) we e g an ed
a leas one o he pa en s applied o , indica ing ha he selec ion o p oj-
ec s has adequa ely o eseen he po en ial o pa en abili y in mos cases. This
conclusion is ein o ced i we analyze he easons in he six su eyed cases
o non-g an ing. Wi hin hese cases, he e a e wo ha a e s ill in he p ocess
o analysis ( iled in 2016 and 2017) and could end up being g an ed. O he
emaining ou , in h ee p ojec s, he in en o s desis ed om con inuing wi h
he p ocess, and in one case, he pa en was o mally denied by he Eu opean
Pa en O ice o lack o an in en i e s ep5.
The 63 p ojec s ha we e g an ed pa en s gene a ed a o al o 166 appli-
ca ions and 83 pa en s g an ed, 62 by di ec en y o na ional o ices (50% o
applica ions) and 21 by en y h ough he PCT sys em (50% o applica ions).
O his o al, 66 a e s ill in o ce (46 and 20, espec i ely). Table 5 summa izes
his in o ma ion.
TABLE 5
PATENTS APPLICATIONS, GRANTS AND IN FORCE
5 In his case, howe e , he holde egis e ed he in en ion as a u ili y model in Spain.
P ojec esul s Numbe A e age pe p ojec
Na ional O ices
Applica ions 1.49
G an s 0.75
G an s/Applica ions (in %) 50.0
In o ce 0.55
In o ce/G an s (in %) 74.2
PCT
Applica ions 42 0.51
G an s 0.25
G an s/Applica ions (in %) 50.0
In o ce 0.24
In o ce/G an s (in %) 95.2
Sou ce: Own elabo a ion based on in o ma ion om he ANR PATENTES Da abase, Pa en Scope,
Espacene and Google Pa en s.
34 Es udios de Economía, Vol.51 - Nº 1
Some cha ac e is ics o applican s and applica ions a ec he p obabili y o
ob aining he pa en . Table 6 shows how he applica ions a e dis ibu ed ( aking
he o al o 166 applica ions) be ween g an ed and no g an ed acco ding, on
he one hand, o he ype o applican and hei p e ious expe ience in pa en
applica ions and, on he o he , o he applica ion o ice and he echnological
class (a he sec ion le el). As can be seen, hose bene icia ies wi h p io expe-
ience and who a e SMEs o science and echnology ins i u ions show a highe
p opo ion o pa en s g an ed han hose who a e legal pe sons and ha e no
expe ience, espec i ely. Fo hei pa , he applica ion o ices wi h he highes
p opo ion o pa en s g an ed a e he USPTO and hose in Asian coun ies,
while hose wi h he lowes p opo ion o g an s a e hose iled in neighbo -
ing coun ies. Finally, he echnological classes wi h he highes p opo ion
o concessions a e B (mainly ela ed o machines, de ices and anspo a ion
equipmen o a ious ac i i ies) and E (mainly ela ed o anspo a ion, wa e
and mining in as uc u e).
35
In en ions, public subsidies and ma ke launch... / D. Milesi, C. Aggio, V. Ve e
Cha ac e is ics
Resul s o Pa en Applica ions
Numbe Pe cen age
No
g an ed G an ed To al No
g an ed G an ed To al
Type o bene icia y
Legal pe son 40 31 71 56% 44% 100%
SME 26 31 57 46% 54% 100%
S&T public ins i u ion 17 21 38 45% 55% 100%
To al 83 83 166 50% 50% 100%
P e ious expe ience applying o pa en s
No 48 39 87 55% 45% 100%
Yes 35 44 79 44% 56% 100%
To al 83 83 166 50% 50% 100%
O ice o applica ion
AR 33 35 68 49% 51% 100%
PCT 21 21 42 50% 50% 100%
USPTO 8 12 20 40% 60% 100%
O he Sou h Ame ican coun ies
(B azil/Chile/U uguay) 16 0 16 100% 0% 100%
Asian coun ies (China/S. Ko ea/Japan) 2 11 13 15% 85% 100%
O he Coun ies/O ices 3 4 7 43% 57% 100%
To al 83 83 166 50% 50% 100%
In e na ional Pa en Class (Sec ions)
A (Human necessi ies) 25 22 47 53% 47% 100%
B (Pe o ming ope a ions, T anspo ing) 12 22 34 35% 65% 100%
C (Chemis y; Me allu gy) 20 13 33 61% 39% 100%
D (Tex iles; Pape ) 0 0 0 - - -
E (Fixed cons uc ions) 4 8 12 33% 67% 100%
F (Mechanical enginee ing) 7 5 12 58% 42% 100%
G (Physics) 10 12 22 45% 55% 100%
H (Elec ici y) 5 1 6 83% 17% 100%
To al 83 83 166 50% 50% 100%
TABLE 6
GRANTED APPLICATIONS ACCORDING TO CHARACTERISTICS OF APPLICANTS
AND APPLICATIONS
Sou ce: Own elabo a ion based on in o ma ion om he ANR PATENTES Da abase, Pa en Scope,
Espacene and Google Pa en s.
36 Es udios de Economía, Vol.51 - Nº 1
Some o hese e ec s emain and o he s disappea when a p obi model
o he p obabili y o ob aining he pa en is es ima ed. In his case, each o
he cha ac e is ics in Table 7 a e included as dummies and an indica o o he
numbe o yea s since he eques is added o con ol o biases associa ed wi h
he non-g an ing o he mos ecen applica ions. Howe e , he a e age elapsed
ime is a ound 10 yea s, o bo h g an ed and no g an ed applica ions.
TABLE 7
DETERMINANTS OF THE PROBABILITY OF OBTAINING THE PATENT
In he mul i a ia e amewo k, he p obabili y o ob aining inc eases when
he bene icia y is an SME, when he applica ion is made in Asian o ices and
also inc eases as mo e ime passes om he momen o he applica ion (Table
7).
Explana o y a iables F=P (G an =1)
SME 0.421*
S&T public ins i u ion 0.433
Expe ience 0.170
AR 0.393
PCT 0.437
USPTO 0.811
O he Sou h Ame ican -0.790
Asia 1.482*
IPC_A 4.062
IPC_B 4.788
IPC_C 3.876
IPC_E 4.671
IPC_F 4.555
IPC_G 4.318
IPC_H 3.147
Time 0.144***
Cons an -6.431
Obse a ions 166
Pseudo R2 0.2031
*** p<0.01, ** p<0.05, * p<0.1
37
In en ions, public subsidies and ma ke launch... / D. Milesi, C. Aggio, V. Ve e
4.3 Comme cial Exploi a ion
Finally, wi h ega d o comme cial exploi a ion, which is he mos di icul
in o ma ion o econs uc om seconda y sou ces, he esul s o he ieldwo k
show ha almos one hi d o he p ojec s (10) eached his phase, 70% o
hem di ec ly and 30% h ough licensing. I hese p opo ions a e ex apola ed
di ec ly o he o al numbe o p ojec s ha ob ained pa en s, i would mean
ha 19 o he 63 would be exploi ing he pa en , 14 o hem di ec ly and he
emaining 5 h ough licensing.
All o he abo e shows ha o a ious easons, he e a e some p ojec s ha
all along he way om p ojec p esen a ion o ma ke a i al. This can be seen
g aphically in he ollowing diag am.
DIAGRAM 2
PROJECT PATHWAY BETWEEN APPLICATION AND ARRIVAL TO MARKET
*Es ima ed based on Su ey o bene icia ies o ANR Pa en es.
Sou ce: Own elabo a ion based on in o ma ion p o ided by FONTAR, ANR Pa en es Da abase and
su ey o bene icia ies o ANR Pa en es.
38 Es udios de Economía, Vol.51 - Nº 1
Rega ding he p ojec s ha ha e no eached comme cial exploi a ion, he
easons a e a ied. In 43% o he cases, he p ojec s a e s ill a an ea ly s age
o de elopmen o con e he in en ion in o an inno a ion. I all o hem we e
o each comme cial exploi a ion a e comple ing he de elopmen phase, he
pe cen age o pa en s ha comple e he cycle om applica ion o ma ke would
double (43% o he 44 ha ha e no eached he ma ke ). In he o he cases, he
cons ain s seem o be mo e de ini i e in ha hey e e o sys emic condi ions
such as lack o inancing (39%) and egula o y ba ie s (17%) o condi ions in-
insic o he bene icia ies o he p ojec i sel ha a e e y di icul o emo e,
such as lack o scale (17%).
FIGURE 5
MAIN REASONS FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO COMMERCIALLY EXPLOIT
THE INNOVATIVE DEVELOPMENT
(% OF PROJECTS THAT ARE NOT BEING EXPLOITED).
In his ega d, he bene icia ies we e asked abou hose aspec s in which
he public sec o could ha e assis ed he p ojec o make i possible o o a-
cili a e i s a i al on he ma ke . O he 25 esponses ob ained, one main issue
s ands ou : he ac ha he in en ion s ill has some way o go be o e i can be
exploi ed. The e is a high p opo ion o p ojec s ha a e s ill in he de elop-
men phase, o example in he bio echnology a ea, and his is indica ed as he
main eason o non- exploi a ion, howe e , in hese cases he ques ion o he
inancing necessa y o he p ojec s o ad ance o a highe s age o de elop-
men is implici . This aspec is pa ially linked o ano he , which also eme ged
No e: Responden s could answe mo e han one op ion.
Sou ce: Own elabo a ion based on su ey o bene icia ies o ANR Pa en es.
39
In en ions, public subsidies and ma ke launch... / D. Milesi, C. Aggio, V. Ve e
om he open-ended ques ions answe ed by he bene icia ies: he ela ionship
wi h po en ial licensees. On he one hand, some bene icia ies men ioned ha
he po en ial licensee demanded he p ojec show a highe deg ee o p og ess
in o de o hem o ge in ol ed and in es , con i ming he lack o ma u i y
o he p ojec o be an obs acle o i s comme cial exploi a ion. On he o he
hand, some po en ial licensees consul ed ound he cos /bene i a io insu i-
cien o unde ake p oduc ion o lacked he necessa y p oduc ion capaci y o
do so, which may indica e he need o g ea e ac i i y in he p omo ion and
dissemina ion o in en ions so ha supply and demand can mee . Among he
o he issues men ioned, he lack o a icula ion wi h o he public ins i u ions
( he Na ional A omic Ene gy Commission – CNEA, he Na ional Ins i u e o
Indus ial Technology – INTI) ha could ha e suppo ed he p ojec s om
he echnical poin o iew and he lack o egula o y suppo policies o he
in en ion ( he A gen ine posi ion owa ds he In e na ional Ma i ime O gani-
za ion, he policy o he Sec e a ia o Ene gy on biodiesel, delays on he pa
o he Na ional Adminis a ion o D ugs, Food and Medical Technology – AN-
MAT, among o he s) also s and ou .
An addi ional elemen o conside ega ding he gene al ele ance o he
ins umen and i s esul s is ela ed o i s ole wi hin he indus ial p ope y
managemen ajec o ies o he bene icia y en i ies.
TABLE 8
PATENTING BEFORE AND AFTER ANR PATENTES
O he o al numbe o bene icia y en i ies, sligh ly mo e han hal (56%)
do no egis e pa en applica ions be o e o a e he ANR (Table 8). Fo hese
en i ies, i could be conside ed ha , up un il now, he ANR is an isola ed mile-
s one in hei IP managemen . The highes p opo ion o bene icia ies in his
condi ion co esponds o legal pe sons, whe e i eaches 70%, ollowed by
SMEs (50%) and public ins i u ions (20%). In his ega d, when e alua ing
Bene icia y
En i ies
No p e ious
o subsequen
applica ions
Subsequen
applica ions only
P e ious
applica ions only
P e- and pos -
applica ions
SMEs 50% 8% 29% 13%
Legal pe sons 70% 4% 26% 0%
Ins i u ions 20% 0% 0% 80%
To als 56% 13%
Sou ce: Own elabo a ion based on in o ma ion om he ANR Pa en es Da abase.
40 Es udios de Economía, Vol.51 - Nº 1
he ins umen in he amewo k o he su ey, se e al bene icia ies s a ed ha
wi hou he ins umen ’s suppo hey would no ha e conside ed pa en ing
hei in en ion.6 I emains o be seen whe he , o e ime, some o hese cases
may also show ha he ANR has been a lea ning miles one ha mobilized
hei sys ema ic IP managemen . Fo he momen , he e idence in his ega d is
sca ce since only 6% o he bene icia ies, all o hem SMEs and legal pe sons,
eapplied o a pa en a e hei i s expe ience inanced by ANR.
Fo ano he 25% o he bene icia ies – again made up exclusi ely o SMEs
and legal pe sons – who al eady had p io applica ion expe ience, he ANR has
helped o inance hei mos ecen applica ion. Finally, o he emaining 13%
wi h p e ious and subsequen pa en applica ion expe ience, he ANR appea s
o ha e been a unding oppo uni y o one-o applica ions in he amewo k
o mo e es ablished IP managemen . In his g oup, public ins i u ions s and ou
in ela i e e ms.
5. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The e idence gene a ed and analyzed in his s udy allows us o d aw a se
o e lec ions and conclusions abou he policy ins umen .
ANR Pa en es has p o en o be e ec i e in i s objec i e o suppo ing in-
di iduals, ins i u ions and companies o p o ec in ellec ual p ope y gene a ed
in he coun y. The e idence shows ha h ee qua e s o he p ojec s inanced
ha e ob ained a leas one pa en . In u n, conside ing a e ages, wo pa en s
we e applied o pe p ojec and one was ob ained. The su ey e eals a gen-
e alized opinion among he bene icia ies ha , wi hou he ins umen , i would
ha e been di icul o hem o pa en , i.e., he subsidy was he condi ion o
he possibili y o pa en ing (p ojec addi ionali y) (Geo ghiou, 2002; Ve e e
al, 2020, Buisse e e al, 1995). To his is added an ‘addi ionali y o scale and
scope’ inso a as he subsidy has made i possible o expand he a ge coun-
ies in which o pa en he in en ion (which would ha e been much smalle
wi hou public aid).
I we conside he di e en s ages o he p ojec s’ li e cycles ( om he
ime hey apply o FONTAR o ob ain inancing o comme cial exploi a ion), a
p ocess o disengagemen is obse ed. In he case o he mos o iginal e idence
p o ided by his s udy, which co esponds o he s ep om ob aining he pa en
o eaching he ma ke , a success a e o a ound 30% is obse ed – al hough
6 This s a emen seems o be con i med by he esul s commen ed abo e. Only 40% o
non-bene icia y public science and echnology ins i u ions applied o a pa en , a pe -
cen age ha d ops o 30% in he case o SMEs and legal pe sons.
41
In en ions, public subsidies and ma ke launch... / D. Milesi, C. Aggio, V. Ve e
his may inc ease when he p ojec s ha a e s ill a an ea ly s age o hei de el-
opmen each comme cial exploi a ion. In his s ep, he e is a need o hink o
s a egies o ex end he suppo o p ojec s in o de o imp o e hei chances o
making an e ec i e con ibu ion o socie y h ough he comme cial exploi a-
ion o pa en ed in en ions. Cu en ly, his phase is no con empla ed in ANR
Pa en es, bu i is an ins ance whose conc e ion is c ucial o gi e eal meaning
o he e o in ol ed in suppo ing he pa en ing o in en ions.
This en ails he conside a ion o pa en ing as pa o he inno a ion p o-
cess, a oiding he pa en becoming an end in i sel , and pu suing he goal o
eaching he ma ke . To his end, i is sugges ed ha wo undamen al issues
be add essed. Fi s ly, he e alua ion o suppo mechanisms and/o ac ions o
con inue wi h he ma u a ion p ocess o he pa en ed in en ion (de elopmen ,
p o o yping, manu ac u ing, egula o y app o al, e c.). Secondly, acili a ion
o he encoun e be ween supply and demand o in en ions. The o me en-
ails a need o a icula e ANR Pa en es wi h: i) ins umen s o o he phases o
he inno a ion p ocess, ii) p og ams aimed a en ep eneu ship, iii) sou ces o
inancing o p oduc i e de elopmen and i ) suppo o egula o y aspec s (a
need de ec ed in se e al o he p ojec s). A niche ins umen , wi h a demanding
ex-an e e alua ion, would inc eae i s impac as long as subsequen suppo o
each he ma ke is also p o ided. The la e in ol es gene a ing spaces and
ins ances o gua an ee he p ope dissemina ion o in en ions and po en ial
licensees. A small-scale ins umen , whe e 60% o bene icia ies a e legal pe -
sons o public ins i u ions, would bene i om he iden i ica ion o a bank o
po en ial licensees, which could s eng hen he selec ion phase and acili a e
he ma ke exploi a ion. In his ega d, i should be no ed ha he as majo i y
o he bene icia ies ha e no had access o o he public suppo ins umen s, so
he e is an impo an space o a icula ing his ins umen wi h o he s, based
on a pa h ha leads om he p ojec idea o i s applica ion.
REFERENCES
Blind, K., Edle , J., F ie sch, R., and Schmoch, U. (2006). “Mo i es o pa en :
Empi ical e idence om Ge many”. Resea ch Policy, 35(5), 655-672.
Blind, K., C eme s, K., and Muelle , E. (2009). “The in luence o s a egic
pa en ing on companies’ pa en po olios”. Resea ch Policy, 38(2), 428-436.
Buisse e , T., Came on, H. and Geo ghiou, L. (1995) “Wha di e ence does
i make? Addi ionali y in he public suppo o R&D in la ge i ms”.
In e na ional Jou nal o Technology Managemen , 10 (4/5/6), 587-600
Cohen, W., Nelson, R. and Walsh, J. (2000) “P o ec ing Thei In ellec ual
42 Es udios de Economía, Vol.51 - Nº 1
Asse s: App op iabili y Condi ions and Why Us Manu ac u ing Fi ms
Pa en (o No )”, Camb idge (MA): Na ional Bu eau o Economic
Resea ch.
De Rassen osse, G. (2012). “How SMEs exploi hei in ellec ual p ope y
asse s: e idence om su ey da a”. Small Business Economics, 39(2),
437-452.
Geo ghiou, L. (2002). “Impac and Addi ionali y o Inno a ion Policy”,
Inno a ion Policy and Sus ainable De elopmen , IWT S udies, 40, 57-
65.
Giu i, P., Ma iani, M., B usoni, S., C espi, G., F ancoz, D., Gamba della,
A and Ve spagen, B. (2006). “E e y hing you always wan ed o know
abou in en o s (bu ne e asked): E idence om he Pa Val-EU su ey”.
Cen e o Economic Policy Resea ch.
G iliches, Z. (1990), “Pa en S a is ics as Economic Indica o s: A Su ey”.
Jou nal o Economic Li e a u e, 28(4), 1661-1707.
Holge sson, M. and G ands and, O. (2017), “Pa en ing mo i es, echnology
s a egies, and open inno a ion”, Managemen Decision, 55(6), 1265-
1284.
Lei Z, Sun Z, W igh B (2013) A e Chinese pa en applica ions poli ically
d i en? “E idence om China’s domes ic pa en applica ions. Fung
Ins i u e Be kley Inno a ion Semina pape ” (downloaded on 10 Sep
2023 om h ps://www.oecd.o g/si e/s ipa en s/4-3-Lei-Sun-W igh .
pd )
Le in, R., Kle o ick, A., Nelson, R., Win e , S., Gilbe , R. and G iliches,
Z. (1987), “App op ia ing he Re u ns om Indus ial Resea ch and
De elopmen ”, B ookings Pape s on Economic Ac i i y, . 1987, n.3,
783-831.
Li, X (2012). “Behind he ecen su ge o Chinese pa en ing: an ins i u ional
iew”. Resea ch Policy, 41 (1):236–249.
Mans ield, E. (1986), “Pa en s and Inno a ion: an empi ical s udy”.
Managemen Science, 32(2): 173-181.
OECD (2009), OECD Pa en S a is ics Manual, OECD Publishing, Pa is,
h ps://doi.o g/10.1787/9789264056442-en.
Pe elski, N., Milesi, D. and Ve e, V. (2020) “Pa en amien o es a égico: ol
de las pa en es en las es a egias de las Pymes indus iales a gen inas”,
in Fede ico, J., Mine i, A., Rod iguez, M., Cahais, H. and Roi e , S.
(eds) “Redes y conocimien os que impulsan la inno ación y el desa ollo
p oduc i o y social”, Asociación Ci il Red Pymes, 480-493.
The Economis (2010) “Inno a ion in China: pa en s yes, ideas maybe”. The
Economis , 14 Oc .
Ve e, V., Aggio, C., Milesi, D. and Lengyel, M. (2020). “Apoyo a la inno ación:
