Patents and nanotechnology innovation in Mexico.

This paper examines nanotechnology patents in Mexico. First, we identify nanotechnology patents and their growth between 1993 and 2014; considering those patents in nanotechnology where at least one assignee has a Mexican address. Second, we applied a methodology to allocate each patent to the most likely potential economic sector of application. The procedure can be replicated for other countries. The main conclusion is that although there is a significant registration of patents in nanotechnology in Mexico, most of them are oriented towards basic research and came out of public research centers, which raises doubts about the connection to the private sector and a short term application in commercial goods.