IP Australia commissioned The University of Queensland to research the business environment and characteristics of patenting firms in Australia, to understand the contexts in which innovation prospers and roles for the patent system.
Summary
The study used data on the full population of Australian businesses that interacted with the Australian patent system over the period 2011- 2021. The analysis made use of Australian Bureau of Statistics BLADE data, including the Intellectual Property Longitudinal Research Dataset, the Business Expenditure on Research and Development Survey and the Business Characteristics Survey.
This integrated data enabled analysis of a firm’s geographical location, turnover, size, age, industry, R&D investment, collaborations and its decisions made regarding patent filings, grants, or retirements. In Australia, patenting is concentrated in:
- manufacturing
- wholesale trade
- professional, scientific, and technical services.
There’s also more limited patenting activity in mining and retail trade. Patent grants are more evenly distributed across industries and regions.