Assessment of technological capability in science industry linkage in China by patent database

In this paper, China’s development of innovation capabilities is examined by using the Chinese patent database. In order to provide an overall assessment of technological development, a patent database is developed by using individual patent information from State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO). This database covers 679,056 invention patents from 1985 to 2005 with the information of dates of application, technology type, applicant name and location.As well as providing an overview of patent activities, this paper also sheds light on science and industry linkage activities. Such activities can be tracked by joint patent application by science sector (universities or public research institutions) and industry sector (firms). It is found that the firm’s collaboration with universities are increasing, while that with public research institutions slows down.