Knowledge sharing and diffusion patterns

The international interrepository knowledge sharing and diffusion patterns in nanotechnology by analyzing patent publication trends from different national or regional repositories with particular focus on the most active countries and regions are presented. The data are collected from esp@cenet worldwide database, which holds more than 60 million patent documents published by patent offices in 85 countries. In conclusion, the patent applications from the esp@cenet worldwide database shows a great increase in global nanotechnology R&D output over the past three decades.