Abstract

This study sought to reveal the evolving technological interdependence of the emerging Taiwanese biofuel industry by accessing the European Patent Office database using a two-stage interactive data collection method. Our empirical results were as follows. (1) Most of the Taiwanese patent rights related to biofuel technologies are held by foreign direct investment (FDI) with a focus on chemical engineering and process technology. (2) Most domestic Taiwanese biofuel technology patents are related to waste management, sludge treatment, and the isolation of micro-organisms. (3) Biofuel is an interdisciplinary technology. Based on the electronics, bio and environmental technologies advantages. Taiwan has the niche to development biofuel in second generation technology. This essay provides the resource-lack countries like Taiwan, through trajectory of inventorying the relevance of related industrial technologies which is supplemented by the key technologies, may serves as effective linkage and catalyst in problem-solving to help select alternative potential energy technologies to stimulate the growth of emerging industries and developed their own advantage industrial technologies and building innovation capabilities.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.