Mapping the interdisciplinary nature and co-evolutionary patterns in five nano-industrial sectors
Lili Wang & Ad Notten
#2011-029
Along with the rapid growth of nanoscience research and the wide
application of nanotechnology into various industrial fields, the
innovation patterns and co-evolutionary natures of multiple nano
industrial sectors has drawn much attention from scholars. Based on a
continuously updated nano-publication database, this paper explores the
learning and integrative dynamics in nano industrial sectors through the
means of co-word analysis, citation distribution across sectors and
institutional cooperation. We argue that the general trend of
integration in nano sectors is converging in the long run, although the
degree of this convergence depends greatly on the indicators one
chooses. Our results show that nano technologies applied in the five
studied nano industries become more diverse over time. One sector learns
more and more related technologies from other sectors. The publication
and citation analysis also proves that nano technology has developed to
a relatively mature stage and has become a standardized and codified
technology.
Keywords: Nanoscience and nanotechnology, sectoral innovation systems,
interdisciplinarity, industrial sectors, publication analysis,
institutional cooperation
JEL Classification: O31, O32, L52, L65