Journal of Intellectual Property (J Intellect Property; JIP)

KCI Indexed
OPEN ACCESS, PEER REVIEWED

pISSN 1975-5945
eISSN 2733-8487
Research Article

Quantitative Assessment of Technological Convergence and Cross-industry Generality in R&D Projects: A Patent-Based Analytical Framework

1Department Manager, Department of Legal Affairs, Korea Planning & Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology, Republic of Korea
2Professor, Department of Bigdata & Management Engineering, Namseoul University, Republic of Korea

Correspondence to Moo-Kyung Jang (mkjang@nsu.ac.kr)

Volume 21, Number 2, Pages 161-185, June 2026.
Journal of Intellectual Property 2026;21(2):161-185. https://doi.org/10.34122/jip.2026.21.2.161
Received on November 03, 2025, Revised on December 15, 2025, Accepted on June 05, 2026, Published on June 30, 2026.
Copyright © 2026 Korea Institute of Intellectual Property.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided that the article is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.

Abstract

This study proposes an analytical framework to quantitatively measure the degree of convergence in R&D projects using patent-based indicators. This framework uses patent data collected during the R&D planning stage to evaluate both technological convergence and cross-industry generality. First, patents related to each R&D project are identified, and technological concentration and convergence are measured using the International Patent Classification (IPC). Next, by applying the linkage table between the Korea Standard Industrial Classification (KSIC) and IPC provided by the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), the industrial classification of each project is determined, and its cross-industry generality level is assessed. The derived technological convergence and cross-industry generality values are mapped to the x- and y-axes, respectively, to visualize the convergence distribution across all projects, providing a comparative framework for analyzing the convergence characteristics among projects. This study moves beyond conventional qualitative approaches by enabling data-driven assessment and prediction of convergence levels at the R&D planning stage. Integrating this framework into the information systems managed by specialized R&D organizations can enhance convergence-oriented project management and promote more effective convergence research.
Keywords

R&D planning, technological convergence, cross-industry generality, convergence R&D, patent analysis

Notes

Conflicts of Interest

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Funding

The author received manuscript fees for this article from Korea Institute of Intellectual Property.

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