IP Data for the National Survey of Research Commercialisation

Explanatory Information

Introduction

The Commercialisation Policy Branch of the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science administers the National Survey of Research Commercialisation (NSRC). During 2014-15 the survey has been reviewed to help strengthen and streamline the data collection, and to ensure the survey aligns with current and emerging objectives for research commercialisation in Australia and abroad.

As part of data collection streamlining and reducing the burden upon survey respondents, the Department has provided IP Australia’s Patent Analytics Hub with information on the controlled entities of universities and other publicly funded research organisations (PFROs) and the Hubhas extracted IP data related to the universities and PFROs.

Data Dictionary – Time Series

Field Name / Data definition / Source / Corresponding Question NSRC 2010-2011 survey
RO_NAME / Name of the research organisation / NSRC
NSRC_CODE / NSRC’s identification code for research organisations / NSRC
RO_INDEX / IP Australia’s identification code for research organisations (4 digits) / IPA
CE_INDEX / IP Australia’s identification code for controlled (subsidiary) entities. A 4 digit code represents the research organisation itself.A 6 digit code represents a subsidiary. / IPA
FILED_AU / Number of newpatent applications filed in Australia / IPGOD / 8 (previously included PBR data)
FILED_US / Number of newpatent applications filed in the US / PATSTAT / 8 (previously included PBR data
FILED_ELSE / Number of newpatent applications filed elsewhere / PATSTAT / 8 (previously included PBR data
NUM_APPS / Number of newpatent applications (filed in 2014) worldwide. This is the sum of the previous three fields. / PATSTAT / 8 (previously included PBR data
PROV_COUNT / Number of new provisional applications filed in Australia / PSS / 9
NUM_PCTS / Number of new PCT applications / PATSTAT / 9
INNOV_COUNT / Number of new innovations filed in Australia / PSS / 9
NPE_AU / Number of applications that entered the National Phase in Australia in 2014 / IPGOD / 9
NUM_CONV / Number of new Paris Convention applications / PATSTAT / 9
NUM_DIVS / Number of new divisional applications filed (worldwide) / PATSTAT / 9
NUM_PBR / Number of new PBR applications that have been filed in Australia / IPGOD / 9
NUM_DESIGNS / Number of new design applications that have been filed in Australia / IPGOD / 9
NUM_TM / Number of new trademark applications filed in Australia / IPGOD / 9
NUM_FAMS / Number of patent families represented in num_apps. / PATSTAT / 10
NUM_GRANTS_AU / Number of patents that were granted in 2014 in Australia / PATSTAT / 11
NUM_GRANTS_US / Number of patents that were granted in 2014 in the US / PATSTAT / 11
NUM_GRANTS_EP / Number of patents that were granted in the EPO / PATSTAT / -
NUM_GRANTS_ELSE / Number of patents that were granted in 2014 to an institution elsewhere / PATSTAT / 11
NUM_GRANTS / Number of granted patents worldwide / PATSTAT / 11
NUM_GRANTS_FAMS / Number of patent families represented in num_grants / PATSTAT / 12
PATS_CULLED_LAST_YEAR / Number of patents that were culled or lapsed from an institutions holdings in 2014 / PATSTAT / 15

Data DictionaryPatent and PBR Holdings

Definitions

Patents

A patent protects an invention for any device, substance, method or process that is new, inventive and useful. Generally, in Australia, the first application filed to protect an invention is a provisional patent.A provisional patent application may also be known as a ‘priority document’.

A patent family is a group of applications around the world based on the same priority document. We used the INPADOC definition of a patent family. An INPADOC patent family is defined as comprising all the documents sharing directly or indirectly (e.g. via a third document) at least one priority. This includes all the patent documents resulting from a patent application submitted as a first filing with a patent office and from the same patent application filed within the priority year with a patent office in any other country.

The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) provides a method for applicants to reserve their rights in approximately 150 countries for a period of up to 30 months. After this time, the application must enter the national phase, at which time the application becomes active in each of the countries where the national phase is entered.

A divisional patent is one which contains matter from a previously filed application. Patents included as ‘divisionals’ herein may also include those with the status of ‘additional’, ‘continuation’, or ‘continuation-in-part’. Additional, continuation and continuation-in-part applications also all contain matter from a previously filed application.

Convention patent applications are applications which are filed in one or more convention countries. The count of convention patent applications does not include PCT applications or divisional applications.

An application is considered to have been culled or lapsed if:

A PCT application has not entered the national phase in any country within three years of the PCT filing date; or
The legal status as indicated in the INPADOC database is ‘lapsed’ or ‘withdrawn’.

Trademarks

A trademark is a way of identifying a unique product of service and is used to distinguish the goods or services of one business from another business.

Plant Breeder’s Rights (PBRs)

A PBR protects new varieties of plants that are distinct, uniform and stable.

Industrial designs

An industrial design protects new and distinctive shapes, configurations, patterns or ornamentation of products which have an industrial or commercial use.