Technological cooperation networks and patents in biotechnology: identification of conceptual bases

Objective of the study: This article seeks to explore from bibliometrics with factor analysis, the conceptual bases of the thematic networks of technological cooperation and patents in biotechnology.Methodology: We performed an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) for quantitative analyses, using the BibExcel software and the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test (KMO) (SPSS software). The matrix of citations and quotations resulted in 86 articles, distributed in three factors, according to similarity analysis (Iramuteq software).Originality/relevance: The term “technological cooperation networks” is increasingly becoming widespread in academia and in the biotechnology sector. However, its concept comes from different theoretical fields, and in the literature, there is still a lack of convergence.Main results: The matrix of citations and quotations resulted in 86 articles, distributed in three factors, according to similarity analysis (Iramuteq software). The main contribution of the research was the identification of three converging factors, namely: 1) the central role of the biotechnology firm in articulating the knowledge, innovations, and technologies produced and disseminated in the technological cooperation networks; 2) the patent as a valuable resource that concentrates and highlights knowledge, innovations, and technological routes for the firm, its networks, and the industry; and 3) research conceived as a networked activity that promotes the intersection between science produced in universities, technologies conceived in firms, and the dissemination to industry and society of articles, patents, and innovations.Theoretical/methodological contributions: This study can contribute to the advancement of scientific knowledge by identifying the converging factors of the conceptual field of technological cooperation networks in biotechnology.