Knowledge, Innovation and Agglomeration - regionalized multiple indicators and evidence from Brazil



The fourth type of indicator is based on the registration of marks. Besides patents, marks
are an important means for innovative firms to protect the new knowledge embodied in their
products and services. Marks too may be registered only in Brazil or internationally. Marks are
increasingly a key asset, and in some cases the most important, in the competitive strategies of
firms that command national and international networks of production and distribution. Indicators
of specialization levels can be inferred from the number of marks registered with the USPTO. We
identified 168 marks registered between 1998 and 2002 with the USPTO by individuals and firms
domiciled in Sao Paulo State. This information was used to calculate specialization indices
identical to the RTA (see n. 12) for each category in the Nice Classification.13 The results are
shown in
Map 4, which displays the geographical distribution of the main categories of marks in
the various micro-regions of Sao Paulo State.

It can be seen that 21 of the 63 micro-regions in the state have marks registered in the
U.S. Most (eight micro-regions) are in Housewares. It is worth noting the commercial efforts of
firms in Franca and Birigui in the categories Clothing and Footwear; Franco da Rocha and
Guarulhos in Musical Instruments; Itapecerica da Serra in Tobacco & Smokers’ Articles; Limeira
in Jewelry; Mogi Mirim in Nonmetallic Building Materials; and Sorocaba in Toys & Sporting
Goods. In many of these cases the level of specialization that can be verified from international
registration of marks correlates closely with regional specialization in production, which is
territorially concentrated in local systems of production and innovation.

The fifth and last type of indicator is based on data for scientific production. New
knowledge generated in research activities is usually disseminated in the form of papers
published by specialized periodicals. The database utilized was ThomsonISI, which systematizes
this scientific production.14 We retrieved journal articles published between 1998 and 2002 by
authors affiliated to institutions located in Sao Paulo State. This indicator is identical to the RTA
and was calculated for each of the major science areas so as to capture the type of scientific
specialization in each region (see
Map 5).

The scientific production indicators are significant for most micro-regions. Nevertheless,
this production is clearly concentrated to a conspicuous extent. Roughly 80% of the citations
were for Sao Paulo (49%), Campinas (18%), Sao Carlos (9%) and Ribeirao Preto (6%).
Important university campi and research centers are located in all these micro-regions (see
Section 3). The map also shows a degree of geographical concentration in scientific
specialization. The most evident specializations are: (1) health, near metropolitan Sao Paulo,
specifically in the Franco da Rocha, Sao Paulo and Santos micro-regions; (2) engineering, in the
Araraquara and Sao Carlos micro-regions; and (3) human sciences, especially in the Sorocaba
and Jundia^ micro-regions.

It is also necessary to mention certain scientific fields that are on the international
knowledge frontier and usually targeted by public policy. The micro-regions with significant
indicators of scientific specialization in such areas are as follows: computer science, Campinas,
Sao Carlos and Sao José dos Campos; materials engineering, Sao Carlos, Araraquara, Sao José
dos Campos and Guaratingueta; molecular biology and genetics, Ribeirao Preto, Botucatu,
Piracicaba, Sao José do Rio Preto, Bauru and Rio Claro. In all cases it is clear that these micro-

13 Nice Agreement Concerning the International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the
Registration of Marks -
http://www.wipo.int/clea/docs/en/wo/wo019en.htm .

14 More specifically, we used the Science Citation Index. To make the map easier to understand, the data were
manipulated so as to ensure a match between this classification and the system used by CNPq. Scientific disciplines
were grouped into six major areas (Grande Area CNPq): agrarian sciences, biological sciences, health sciences, exact
& earth sciences, human sciences, and engineering.



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