摘要：We assessed knowledge development and exchange among actors who patent orthopaedic devices in South Africa over the period 2000–2015.A social network analysis was performed on bibliometric data using co-inventorship on patents as an indicator of collaboration between different organisations, with a focus on the spatial and sectoral contexts.Network metrics and innovation system indices are used to describe knowledge development and exchange.The results show that university, healthcare and industry organisations have primarily been responsible for increased patenting over time.The key actors were a set of industry actors – a national actor and its US partner – who have patented many devices jointly.National universities were found to make a small contribution, and science councils were found to be absent, despite the efforts in the changing innovation landscape to encourage publicly financed research organisations to protect their intellectual property.The collaboration networks were found to be sparse and disjointed, with many actors – largely from the private healthcare sector – patenting in isolation.
关键词：social network analysis;patent;knowledge development;knowledge exchange;innovation system
