Independent inventors and public support measures: insights from 33 case studies in Finland

This study explores the experiences of individual inventors trying to protect, patent, and utilize their inventions. The paper also examines the extent to which inventors received public support. Drawing on an analysis of 33 case studies of Finnish independent inventors, the study explores the extent to which the inventor types correspond with access to certain support measures and commercialization success. The findings suggest that different types of inventors and their patents concur with different levels of access to and use of support measures. Access to innovation support does not necessarily coincide with commercialization success. At times, inventor categories with some success in utilizing patented inventions coincided with little support and advice from public organizations.