Driving innovation in the Asia Pacific region

 

September 2006

This month's Zillion business magazine features an interview with Mark Garlinghouse, vice president of Thomson Scientific Asia Pacific. He has seen a dramatic increase in scientific literature and patent output over the last 10 to 15 years in this region, with a similar growth in Thomson Scientific's client base. The interview features some of the key products driving this growth, and highlights activities aiming to help stimulate development of a sound research infrastructure in China.

According to National Science Indicators produced by Thomson Scientific, the Asia Pacific region produced 25 per cent of the world's research papers in 2004. Ten years before, the rate was less than 20 per cent. "If the growth trajectory in scientific research papers continues, the Asia Pacific region will overtake the US in 2011" says Mark Garlinghouse.

It is not just in academic research that the Asian nations are increasing their investment in innovation. Increases in commercial R&D investment in the Asia Pacific region have had a major impact on the number of patents filed. Filings are growing much more quickly in Asia than in the US and Europe:

  • Japan alone accounted for almost half the total patents filed worldwide from 2000 to 2004
  • patent offices in Japan, Korea, and China together publish more than the aggregate output of patents from the European Patent Office or the US Patent Office.

Thomson Scientific first established a presence in Asia in 1993, in Tokyo. Since then, the organization has opened six new offices across the region, including China. Mark joined Thomson Scientific in 1998 to help open up the Singapore office and expand the client base in the region outside of Japan. He says "Thomson Scientific has had customers in Asia Pacific almost since its establishment. R&D has always been a priority for countries in that region."

Read the full interview here