A comparative study on convergence of IT, BT and NT: Focusing on patent data

Abstract

Technological convergence is yielding new values and affecting various fields not by single technology but by convergence between technologies. This study aims to analyze the IT -BT-NT convergence and differences between technologies in respect of collaboration within (inventor) and between (assignee) organizations. Among the main technologies leading the technological convergence, IT is the most active of converging with other fields. BT is knowledge-intensive and strong cooperative networks are important in this area. NT is applied in various industrial fields upon the basic technology. Using the data on applied and granted patents by Korean applicants in the U.S., this study conducted quantitative analysis and ANOVA to gain the following results. First, the degree of convergence in between IT-BT-NT is continuously increasing since 2002. Second, BT is where the collaboration within and between organizations is the most active among IT-BT-NT. Third, there were certain differences in the degree of convergence according to the years and the fields of technologies in all the IT-BT-NT. Organizations cooperate with other institutions to sustain their competitiveness with limited internal resources. Companies in these fields are recommended to perform diverse strategies to pursue further collaboration with the outside.