Research on the evaluation of nation nanotechnology innovation international level based on patent analysis

As competition in technology innovation among nations becomes more intense, there is a growing need for improved assessment and analysis method. Patents are the manifestation of the country´s technology innovation endeavor; therefore, this paper evaluates the technology innovation international level of the top10 countries ranked by the number of nanotechnology patents. Since the static methodology makes the interpretation of results unclear and makes time series analysis difficult; an improved multi-indicator dynamic comprehensive evaluation method is put forward to establish the evaluation index system. According to the finding from analysis, the evaluated countries are divided into four types: the power, the emerging, the tradition and the weaker. The power should be aware that other countries are gradually narrowing the gap with it. The emerging´s performance in patent quality needs further improvement. The tradition is always in the middle level and its development is stable. The weaker can draw on the typical internationalization patterns as the future development path selection. By providing objective insight into the international level evaluation of national nanotechnology innovation through the perspective of patent analysis, this paper hopes to propose some recommendations for future directions.