October, 12 (nebusiness.co.uk) --
Dow and
BASF have joined forces to support the Patent Asset Index, a new patent assessment process that will allow both firms to maximize their many plastics and chemicals patents.
BASF also recently licensed technology from Materia that could allow for the creation of new polymers with standard plastic feedstocks.
The Patent Asset Index was developed by Holger Erst, a professor at WHU, a private college based in Vallendar, Germany. In the 2008 Index,
BASF ranked first overall, based on R&D effectiveness, innovation strength and competitive advantage.
“We now have a better method to compare the patent portfolios of global companies even more accurately,” said
BASF research executive director Andreas Kreimeyer.
Dow ranked first in the Index’s competitive impact category. It also ranked first in technology relevance, because the firm’s patents were most cited in patents filed by other companies.
The Index “not only allows a company to benchmark itself against its peers, but also provides an accurate, overall view of the impact and efficiency of an enterprise’s investment in innovation”,
Dow chief technology officer William Banholzer said.
Dow spokesman Bob Plishka added that the Index’s assessment methods are more in line with Dow’s goals “to generate patent-protected sales and to generate margin for the company”.
Dow’s 2009 R&D budget of $1.6bn is more than the combined R&D budgets of the top 25 US universities, Plishka said. In 2009, Dow’s R&D budget also will exceed its capital expenditures budget for the first time in the firm’s history, he added
