Understanding Patents: The Role of R&D Funding Sources and the Patent Office
This paper analyzes the effects of different sources of R&D funding and patent office attributes on the patenting process. The empirical estimation is based on four major industries – electronics, chemical and biology, transportation and aeronautics – for the time period 1976-1998.
Link
http://econwpa.wustl.edu:80/eps/io/papers/0504/0504012.pdf